Red Strokes
by Twin-Lance
Summary: Nida absorbed as much of the atmosphere as he could. There he danced, in a place he could only hope to fantasize about as a boy, with a woman he never imagined he could touch. Quistis x Nida This is the third story in my "New Beginnings" Final Fantasy VIII series.
1. Morning After

Disclaimer- Who am I kidding. You guys know I don't own Final Fantasy VIII.  
  
Author's notes- This is the prologue to my Quistis/Nida fic. Although I'm assuming that if you read the summary you already know that. Just before this, I posted my other prologue, the one to Iris of Thorns. You guys may read both of them and then tell me which one you'd like to see continued first after I finish Leather-bound Secret. And just so those of you that are following my series of stories, this one takes place about a month after Tempest is born. If you're confused....read Darkened Ice.  
  
For those of you new to my stories:  
  
"..." spoken words  
  
'...' thoughts  
  
___ change in character pov/situation  
  
~*~*~*~ - passing time  
  
Prologue  
  
Morning After  
  
It was early. Well before dawn for sure. He groaned as he rolled over. What time was it? His eyes opened to see darkness. Maybe his last episode had been kind enough to kill him. A shrill and pulsating buzz rang in his ears. No, he wasn't dead. His eyes adjusted to show that he was very much alive, physically at least. The floor was cold. Why was he on the floor? He sat up uneasily and looked around. He'd been lying near his painting supplies, and the floor was stained red. Had he collapsed? Dazed, he looked around at the spilled cans and other supplies around him. His room was trashed. He shakily found his feet and stumbled to his bathroom. He needed a shower.  
  
The water felt reviving. He loved water. Standing only a few inches from the shower head, he let the water cascade through his hair and down his body. When he opened his eyes he was surprised to find that the water running off of his body was red; blood red. He swallowed and looked at his arms. He had done it again. No big surprise. He turned off the water and dried off with a towel. Standing in front of the mirror he realized he was pale. He leaned forward on his elbows and ran his fingers through his raven hair. He glanced up an noticed the spikes he'd just created. They looked pretty cool, at least to him anyway. He was half tempted to wear his hair that way, but what was the point? No one noticed him anyway. Wrapping the towel around his slim waist he stepped back into his room and pulled out his uniform. Maybe today he would do things differently. He needed to. It was obvious his old ways weren't doing him much good.  
  
Sitting on his bed, he began wrapping up his palms and wrists. He then proceeded to get dressed. With only his pants and boots on, he tried to lift himself up into a handstand. A sharp pain shot through both of his wrists. He fell miserably to the cold floor. He breathed heavily. This wasn't good. He'd never been this sore, and he'd probably caused the cuts to bleed again. He fingered his wraps and rolled onto his back. Things had to change. He could start small and work his way from here. Weakly, he found his feet and went into the bathroom. Wetting and gelling his hair, he ran his fingers through it until he had haphazardly placed short spikes.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
He watched her over the rim of his coffee mug. How he loved to watch her. She was his beauty; at least he wished she were. He watched, fascinated by her proper and professional demeanor. Every movement; graceful and perfectly timed, her speech; soft and yet authoritative, her hair; restrained but flowing freely, and her eyes, just plain mesmerizing. Careful not to spill his untouched drink in his lap, he sat it aside and watched her stand up. She was preparing to leave, just like she'd done at the same time every day for the past two months.  
  
He leaned back in his chair, draping one arm over the chair next to him. Through nearly closed eyes he watched her collect her things. It paid to be of an eastern decent at that moment. No one around him would be able to tell that his almond shaped, narrow eyes were still squinted open; especially her. The cracked windows of the cafeteria allowed a steady breeze to flow through his hair. He suppressed a smile as he watched her hair blow around her beautifully shaped face. How he wished he could run his fingers through it; just once.  
  
He wasn't a treppie. He would never lower himself to that stature. Unlike them, he wasn't some mindless follower of her exquisite beauty or her seemingly perfect appearance. She was untouchable at first glance. But after a second glance it was obvious that she was lacking and wanting. He'd seen it in her eyes more and more often after Squall and Rinoa had married and had their first child.  
  
Her eyes had changed. They now reflected a hollowness that even her reinstated instructor status couldn't fill. He could see she was beautiful; but he could also see that she was alone. He wanted to hold her and reassure her that she would always have his support. His hands ached to wipe away her insecurities. She didn't need to feel like he did everyday. The mere thought of it was enough to make him sick to his stomach.  
  
Her figure approached him. He'd always feigned dozing whenever she walked by. It spared him the awkwardness and embarrassment his inability to form words in her presence would cause. He had to do something else different. He told himself he would. It didn't have to be drastic, just different. When she was a few feet away from him, he blinked his sore eyes open and looked up at her as if he'd just noticed she were there. He smiled sheepishly at her before he looked away.  
  
"Good morning Nida," She said pleasantly as she allowed a hand to brush his shoulder.  
  
"G-Good m-morning Quistis," He choked out in a response as he jumped up from his chair in astonishment that she knew his name. She paused as she looked him over. A grin spread across her thin lips making him want to melt. He cast her a hesitant lopsided grin in response. The two stood there quietly for a few magnificent seconds; at least to him anyway. She nodded her good-bye as she turned and left. He stood awestruck as she walked away from him. The few tables behind him had grown dead silent. He glanced over his shoulder to see a dozen or so treppies glaring at him. A smile graced his lips as he picked up his coffee and made his exit. Already this day was going better than any he'd had in months. He was able to walk confidently to the elevator for the first time ever as he reflected on the morning's events. She had no clue the influence she'd had on him. He pressed the up button and proceeded to stand next to the other man in the elevator. He sipped his coffee, oblivious to the fact that the blonde next to him was scowling as he shot him a disapproving look. Nothing would ruin this day. Thanks to her, nothing could.  
  
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I'm not entirely for sure (although this story is already planned out to the end) but I just get the impression that this fic is going to be complicated. One thing is for sure, Nida will get the acknowledgment and notice he was neglected in the game, and Quistis will finally get what she deserves. (and I don't mean that in a bad way)  
  
Please read and review. Let me know what you think. I really appreciate it. 


	2. Wake of Debris

Disclaimer- Final Fantasy VIII belongs to Squaresoft, ya know.  
  
Author's notes- thoughts '...' Spoken words "..." change/passing of time ~*~*~*~ That being said, you're good to go.  
  
Wake of Debris  
  
The sound of birds chirping combined with the crashing of the waves down below created a harmonic song. Around her, the day was as beautiful as could be. The sky was a light blue with a few whisps of cirrus clouds that seemed to dance on the upper atmospheric winds. A steady yet light breeze tickled her nose as it played with the loose strands of her hair. The day held a spring time warmth that she gladly welcomed.  
  
Quistis carefully stepped across a downed strip of piping that blocked the walkway, and hesitantly grasped the rusted railing of the stairwell as she began her decent. It was mind boggling to her how a community with such amazingly talented architects and engineers could be content living in a place that was falling apart. Off to the side of the stairwell were two children playing on a loading platform. She paused for a moment and watched as the little girl, clad in a ragged dress, shifted through the debris of what might have been a shack at one time. The boy, whom appeared to be a few years younger, watched with eager eyes to see her newly found treasure. She frowned at the sight.  
  
Despite the intelligence displayed by most of the citizens, it was obvious they all lacked common sense. No child should have to grow up playing on rusted platforms that were so far gone in some places that the rebar was all that was left. She quickly diverted her attention to the Mayor's house. She knew their parents were able to at least give them a better environment to grow up in, and the longer she allowed herself to stay the more disturbed she became.  
  
Standing now at the mayor's front door, she brushed back her hair and took a deep breath. She willed herself to put aside the image she'd seen earlier and to knock. This would be hard enough without her being distracted. Despite the obvious tension in the air, Flo opened the door and greeted her with a smile.  
  
"Come in," She gestured. Quistis followed the shorter women up the set of makeshift rod iron stairs and stopped when the mayor looked up at her. A frown crossed his features as he looked towards his wife.  
  
"I'm here on behalf of Balamb Garden," Quistis said as she tried to shake her uneasiness.  
  
"Yes yes. Have you come here for renegotiations?" The smaller man asked as he looked up at her.  
  
"That is why I'm here," She straightened her glasses as she stared nonchalantly at him.  
  
"Good. Good. Great things are accomplished through negotiations. Please have a seat," He patted the cushion next to him on the floor. Quistis gazed down at the stained and faded stuffed rag with contempt. Despite her reluctance she carefully sat down beside him.  
  
"Thank you," She said as politely as she could while desperately trying to hide her disgust. Flo approached her with a tray of glasses, but Quistis politely declined a drink.  
  
"Well, I'll keep these talks brief. Its obvious that you want to be here having this discussion about as much as I do." Quistis nodded at his curt statement.  
  
"I speak for all of Garden when I say that the assistance you've allowed your workers to render has been invaluable. Without your assistance it would've been weeks at least before we would've been able to get the Garden functional again."  
  
The old mayor smiled. "I am very proud of my engineers. They are quite exemplary indeed. As I have made it abundantly apparent, I don't have a problem allowing them to remain on Garden so long as some alterations are made."  
  
Quistis sighed. 'Here we go again.' She stood up slowly and brushed the dirt that she felt like was coating her pants. Since Squall had allowed a change in the uniform specifications, Quistis had taken full advantage of it. There was no way she would've wanted to have worn that skirt here. "You have called for many revisions. Some of the mechanical ones, such as the armory and various weapon lockers having posted guards and such we haven't a problem with. Its the revisions you're wanting us to make to our curriculum is out of the question."  
  
"The referred to classes which should be dropped before I will render any more assistance are barbaric and irrational. You aren't teaching your SeeDs to be negotiators and mediators. You're teaching them to fight, control and conquer. I refuse to be a part of any such program that permits or promotes that type of behavior." The mayor stood up after he finished talking and lightly clasped his hands behind his back.  
  
Quistis looked past him to the window and then back at him. "Don't you understand? Balamb Garden isn't trying to suppress or conquer anyone. We are neutral in world affairs and active only when there is a just cause for our interference. Our SeeDs are taught to fight in order to defend themselves or other people."  
  
The mayor shook his head. "I stand firm by my decision on the subject. And if I were you Ms. Trepe, I would seriously consider my proposal. It could be quite detrimental to your Garden not to."  
  
Quistis crossed her arms. "Forgive me for my bluntness. But is that a threat?"  
  
The mayor frowned. "If anyone would be giving threats it certainly wouldn't be the one of us pressing for a peaceful garden curriculum."  
  
"I believe I've heard enough for today," Quistis spoke bluntly. "Good day Mr. Mayor." She received no response, and yet she didn't really wait for one. She rushed up the long flight of stairs and towards Balamb Garden's current berthing place.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Xu leaned against the conference table with her right hand and massaged her temple with her left. Across from her, Squall looked equally annoyed as he dwelled on Quistis' report from Fisherman's Horizon.  
  
"What are we supposed to do?" Quistis asked as she crossed her arms and looked over the three other people in the room.  
  
"What can we really do? We need those workers," Cid sighed. "I'll send word that another negotiating party will meet with him."  
  
"You expect us to just submit to him!" Quistis exclaimed, startling those around her.  
  
"She has a point," Xu supported. "That mayor may claim to be against using force, but he obviously isn't above manipulating and deceiving. I mean aren't Esthar's engineers actually some of the most accomplished in the world? More so than Fisherman's Horizon?" Xu crossed her arms and looked to Squall.  
  
"She's right. I can speak to my father and we'll see what kind of arrangement can be made," Squall finally spoke. "If Balamb's going to be neutral, I believe we should make it self-sufficient. I'll see about getting some engineers here and I want you two to find SeeDs here that are qualified to be trained as engineers." Squall nodded to Quistis and Xu. They both nodded in reply.  
  
Xu smiled in triumph as another idea hit her. "While your contacting President Loire can we go ahead and send a diplomat to Fisherman's Horizon? Make him think he's still got us under his thumb...please?"  
  
"Who do you have in mind?" Cid asked, thoroughly interested.  
  
"Almasy," Xu admitted. "Let's face it...he's our toughest and best negotiator. He always comes through."  
  
"He's our interrogator Xu. I don't think his swinging Hyperion around and pointing it at the mayor is going to help us in this situation," Quistis laughed.  
  
Xu shrugged. "Sounded kinda fun to me."  
  
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element6- Nida has to work up the nerve to actually hold his composure around her first eh? Thanks for the compliment by the way. I really appreciate your reviews.  
  
aratcorien - Yes there are a lot of unanswered questions. You have no idea how many there really are. *rubs temples* I'm still working on the answers to all of them.  
  
Ameli Stoncius - So you like my 'darkness' bits thrown in there eh? *grins* I've just getting started.  
  
Verdanii - Thank you, thank you, here's the update, and yes Nida is cute.  
  
Barrett Machain - Nida, neglected? *whistles softly* You could call him that... Just wait til you learn the whole story. And you think you hate Nikki in LBS.  
  
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There's chapter two. I know this one only really sets up the basis for the stories secondary plot line....but it has to be in here. Now after I give Iris of Thorns and Unveiled Consternation their second update......you guys can vote. Leather-bound Secret's almost over. 


	3. Silence and Clamor

Disclaimer - I don't own anything! *sobs* Aren't you people happy yet!?  
  
Silence and Clamor  
  
Not a sound could be heard above the light footsteps of Chloe, the library girl, as she looked over the nearly empty room. Her shoulders slumped a bit at how useless her job seemed to be. Students occasionally came in there, but it wasn't because they just wanted to find a good book to read. More often than not they were told to go by their instructors. She sighed at the thought and then sat back down behind her desk. Without her footsteps, the room seemed deafly quiet. She knew she wasn't alone in the room, she'd seen the SeeD enter that morning. What she couldn't figure out was why he was still there, it was nearly three in the afternoon. Rushed footsteps echoed in the main hall outside. Chloe sat up in her seat knowing to whom they belonged to and at the same time hoped they'd pass the library right up. They didn't. She stood up quickly just as her yellow-clad friend came into view.  
  
"Hello Selphie. Can I help you with anything?" Chloe asked with a smile.  
  
"Nah, I'm good," Selphie said as she tried to catch her breath. "This kid's wearing me out though," She smiled. Chloe smiled in response while she secretly wondered where Selphie drew her seemingly endless supply of energy, even while pregnant. "I'm looking for Nida Roe. Is he in here?"  
  
"Who?" Chloe asked in confusion.  
  
"Come on!" Selphie let her shoulders slump. "He's just south of six feet tall, really thin, short black hair. He pilots Garden for crying out loud!"  
  
Chloe suppressed a smile at how worked up her friend was. "What's so important that you need to talk to him so desperately?"  
  
"Hello, does Garden Festival ring a bell," Selphie teased.  
  
Chloe rolled her eyes. "How could I have forgotten?"  
  
Selphie shook her head. "He's not anywhere else, he has to be here."  
  
________________________________________________________________________  
  
On the otherside of the library, behind the farthest row of shelves and gathered on the desk in the far corner, a pile of seven repair books sat stacked haphazardly. A SeeD jacket lay where it'd been dropped across the seat of the desk's chair and a cup of cool coffee sat untouched. The SeeD responsible for the slight disorganization leaned against the desk itself and rubbed at his eyes with one hand as he held an open book with the other.  
  
"This isn't it," He said absently to himself as he flipped through the pages of one of the library's antiqued repair books. Still skimming over the page before him, he stood and slowly walked across the walkway. Closing the book, he stepped up onto the mounted ladder and climbed up a few rungs. Running his right index finger along the spines of the books he continued his search. "Here it is," He said quietly as he replaced the book he held on the shelf and pulled the other one free. As he carefully started back down, Selphie came around the end of the shelf and bumped into the ladder. Surprised and off balance, he tumbled to the floor, landing on his elbows. He looked up from where he lay on the floor and noticed with some slight astonishment that she'd caught the book that he'd dropped during his fall and stood with her head tilted to the side.  
  
"This looks like an old driver's manual, only for the Garden," Selphie said as she handed him the book. He quickly took it as he stood up and fixed his sleeves. "Oh did you scratch your arms on something when you fell? I'm so sorry. Here I can get something for that."  
  
"What?" Nida asked. "Oh! Uh no.....no. I'll be fine." He stepped backwards to get out of her reach and watched as she narrowly missed his wrist.  
  
"Are you sure you're okay?" She asked.  
  
"Yeah, I-I'm fine," He assured her as he looked over to where his jacket lay. "I've got supplies in my room that'll take care of it." Selphie watched as he collected the stack of books and the jacket and started to leave.  
  
"Wait," She said. He stopped hesitantly where he stood and looked down at her. "I almost forgot."  
  
He looked wistfully at the library's exit and then back to her. 'She's pregnant. I can easily outrun her,' He thought to himself. "Forgot what?" He asked, surprised by his own words.  
  
"The Garden Festival!" She beamed. He paled. "Are you going back to your dorm? Cause a little bird told me you're quite the artist." She smiled as she innocently placed her hands at the small of her back and smiled up at him.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Squall sat uneasily and watched as Laguna held his son. It wasn't that he didn't trust him, he just thought he was a bit of a klutz. 'So maybe I don't trust him,' Squall thought as he carefully took the infant from his father and sat down with it. He glanced over his shoulder, desperately hoping Rinoa'd hurry up with whatever she was doing in the kitchen. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed his father giving him a knowing smile.  
  
"What?" Squall asked as he narrowed his eyes.  
  
"Nothing," Laguna held his hands up and waited for Squall to turn his attention back to the baby in his arms. "I just like witnessing the sweet caring side that you like to deny you have."  
  
Squall looked up quickly. "What? I don't... Whatever," Squall shook his head as Rinoa finally came back into the room.  
  
"Cheeks are kinda red Honey. Did I miss something?" Rinoa asked as she sat next to Squall. Across the coffee table from them Laguna was doing his best to stifle a grin. Squall turned his head down towards his son so that neither of them could see his face. "What'd you say to him?" She asked Laguna.  
  
Laguna jumped in his chair like a child caught in the act of misbehaving. "What?" He laughed. "I said he was cute and sweet, but that's it."  
  
Rinoa laughed lightly, getting an annoyed glance from her knight. "Didn't you two have business to discuss?"  
  
As if just remembering, Squall turned to Laguna. "I had a few questions, about your engineers."  
  
________________________________________________________________________  
  
Selphie stepped through the doorway and into the dimly lit room. Careful not to knock any of the stacked paint cans over, she walked to the far wall and opened the single blind. The room was filled with a bright light as the sunlight filtered through the dusty glass and shown on a tarped object. Curious, she stepped forward and pulled away the ragged cloth. She studied the painting before her in awe. With a hesitant hand, she reached out and touched the vibrant colors that composed a blue-eyed beauty.  
  
"Oh Nida," Was all she was able to say.  
  
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ameli - Seifer could be a good negotiator...so long as he's on your side....*nervous laugh* And don't worry, I've had way more chocolate than I should ever be allowed to have access to.  
  
aratcorien - I'm so tempted to send Seifer to FH.......maybe I still will.....hmm.  
  
element6 - Thanx for your loyal reviews.  
  
Barrett - ...That fantasy wasn't exactly what I had in mind. lol Interesting visual though...  
  
Verdanii - Dang it girl! You're still reviewing my stuff? :) Thanks a bunch. :)  
  
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Sorry for the insanely long delay in updates. My english class is really cutting into my typing time. Of course the near crash of my computer didn't help either....but that's another story. I hope you enjoy, I'm trying to write in between college papers and computer malfunctions. Believe me it isn't easy. 


	4. Conferences

Disclaimer-If I owned Final Fantasy VIII...I would have at least seen the ending movie by now!  
  
Author's notes- yeah this chapter's been overdue for a while. Sorry about that. I got a little wrapped up with my other two stories.  
  
Ameli- Oops...you said to hurry up and write this chapter didn't you.  
  
Verdanii- Nida is very cute.  
  
Barrett Machain- Nida is going to be angsty in this fic. Be forewarned.  
  
element6- Thanks. I really honestly had this chapter pretty much done. I promise I did! I just got wrapped up in a lot of other stuff, my other stories, you get the picture. You're my main drive for getting this chapter out this soon. I hope you realize that.  
  
Aratcorien- Things will be explained. The Esthar situation the paintings, his wrists...  
  
MadHattess- They are cute.  
  
Conferences  
  
The third floor office had become encompassed with an awkward silence. Squall leaned back in his seat and appeared to be dwelling on the proposition at hand. Beside him, Xu leaned on her armrest and also seemed deep in thought. On the other side of the room, Cid looked out the window while he waited for them to continue their meeting. Selphie, alone in the center of the room, crossed her arms as she watched them with mild annoyance. "I don't get it," She spoke after a few silent moments. They all looked up at her save for Squall who still seemed to be off in his own little world. "Squall!" She said sharply. He looked up at her after a brief moment.  
  
"Selphie. I understand how your proposal could be beneficial to Balamb Garden but there are so many other people more qualified than him," Xu spoke. Selphie crossed her arms in frustration. "Look, you and I know that Nida is a great guy. He's a very compassionate person. But he doesn't have what it takes to handle a job like this."  
  
"But how do you know. You haven't even spoken with him, you haven't reviewed any of his mission reports or anything," Selphie argued.  
  
"No, you're not listening to me," Xu said calmly. "I'm saying that as we speak there are hundreds of engineers more than qualified to take this position today. It doesn't make sense to hand the job to a teenage boy who does good just piloting this facility." Selphie stared at her in disbelief. "Okay I didn't mean that like it came out. I just meant that he hasn't got the qualifications nor the experience to handle the senior engineer position."  
  
"Squall didn't have any experience when he was given command. He didn't even want the position at first. He didn't think he could handle it, he thought he was too young," Selphie countered her. Now obviously in the back seat of the conversation, Squall shot Cid an unsure expression. Cid grinned in response as he listened to the now growing argument that was beginning to center around Squall.  
  
"This has nothing to do with Squall," Xu stated.  
  
"You're right," Selphie said. "This has to do with some achievement insecurity that you have." Xu stood up. Selphie crossed her arms as she took a step closer. Cid and Squall locked eyes for an instant and then turned their attention to the two women in the room. "You've always been riding pretty high in the saddle haven't you? Sure you were no Quistis Trepe, you were no prodigy, but you knew you were accomplished. You worked your ass off to become a SeeD at sixteen. It took quite a bit to get to the position you're in now." Xu crossed her arms as she waited for Selphie to finish. "But to think that some seventeen year old boy that's been a SeeD for a whole year may get the opportunity to take a position that would put him over your head really bothers you doesn't it?"  
  
Xu narrowed her eyes. "Selphie Kinneas! Are you trying to insinuate that I'm jealous of Nida?" She shook her head in disbelief. "I can assure you that I am not. But I can also assure you that he is one of my best friends and I'd never do anything that might short change him. What we are talking about is more than doing a friend a favor. We are talking about a major position in garden with major responsibilities. I would love for him to someday make whatever position he so dreams to have, but right now is not the time. He's still too unsure of himself. Right now he serves garden best as its pilot. Until he matures I don't think its wise for us to put him in a position he isn't ready for."  
  
"Until he matures?" Selphie shook her head. "Just in case you haven't noticed, this Garden's Public Relations Officer and Head Interrogator are both just now getting ready to turn twenty and the Commanding officer of all people is also nineteen! In all honesty, you yourself have yet to turn twenty if I'm not mistaken so who are you to talk about maturing? It'd be different if you were Cid's age." Selphie paused at her statement and turned to him. "I didn't mean anything bad by that."  
  
"That's alright," Cid smiled.  
  
Xu stood completely dumbfounded. "Stop twisting and complicating everything I say!" Xu shouted. "I swear you hang out with Almasy entirely too much!" She shook her head. "I was just trying to think of what would be in best interest for Garden."  
  
"That's enough," Squall interfered. Everyone in the room turned to look at him. "Both of you have valid points. Unfortunately Selphie, I've already spoken with my father and he's sending engineers to help us in the absence of the Fisherman's Horizon workers. There's a real possibility that the Senior Engineer position is already filled."  
  
"But won't it seem kinda suspicious if Esthar is supplying so much aide to Balamb Garden? It might make us seem partial and then cause all kinds of relations problems with other regions," Selphie pointed out.  
  
"Believe me I've thought of that," Squall replied. "But right now I don't know what to do."  
  
"How about we have Mr. Roe come in tomorrow morning and give us a presentation. It doesn't matter what its about so long as it has to do with garden and why he should get the position," Cid suggested. Xu looked up at him in protest, Squall looked at him thankful for the assistance. Selphie hopped around in excitement as much as she could considering she was nearly five months along.  
  
"What about Quistis?" Xu raised an eyebrow as she turned to Selphie. The men in the room looked at her with confused expressions. "Oh come on," She rolled her eyes playfully. "Anyone who pays attention to anything in this garden would know that Nida Roe is a bigger fan of Quistis Trepe than even the treppies are." She grinned. "We're talking the poor boy goes red in the face and can't form sentences."  
  
"What are you suggesting?" Squall asked.  
  
"I'm suggesting that we do him a great favor and see to it that Quistis isn't here when he is." Squall looked to Cid and started to protest but stopped when Cid held up his hand.  
  
"Very well. I'll give her the morning off or something," Cid smiled. Selphie grinned broadly. "I only have one question."  
  
"Yeah Dad?" Selphie asked.  
  
"Why didn't Nida come here himself?"  
  
"Its a self-confidence thing. But believe me he wants this," Selphie gave her father the best puppy dog eyes she could muster.  
  
"Oh please," Xu said under her breath.  
  
"What?" Squall whispered to her. "Its obviously working for her."  
  
"Ya think," Xu pushed him playfully. "He's her old man, of course those eyes work on him."  
  
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The sunlight lit every inch of the cramped little dorm room up. The limited space was no problem. He just pushed his furniture out of the way to make room for his easel and paints and he was set. Ever since Selphie had left a few days ago, he'd felt the obligation to finish at least this work. It was coming along slowly but most good things did take time. Taking great care in tracing the outlines of her sleeves on his canvas he finished his highlighting and took a step back. He studied the painting for an instant as he tried to decide what it was lacking. Sure she looked beautiful but something still seemed off. A knock on his door shook him from his thoughts. Carefully stepping over his supplies he walked over to the door and jumped when it opened right as he got there.  
  
"Sorry about that," Selphie smiled. "But I have great news." Nida watched her as she stepped inside and shut the door. "Oh wow its looking so beautiful," She cried out when she noticed the painting he had sitting out.  
  
"Uh yeah, its still wet," He warned her.  
  
"Don't worry I won't touch," She assured him.  
  
"You said you had good news?" He asked and then immediately regretted saying it.  
  
"Yes!" She turned around quickly. "I just came from a meeting and Cid has instructed me to tell you that you are to report to the third floor conference room at nine thirty tomorrow morning to give a presentation."  
  
Nida's face paled. "To what?"  
  
"They want to interview you for the Senior Engineer position."  
  
"You're serious," He said more to himself than to her. 'This break's coming a lot sooner than I'd originally thought it would. After nearly eighteen years its about time something happens,' He thought to himself. "What do I report on?"  
  
Selphie shrugged. "Got me there. All I can say is that you should keep it Garden related. I have to go pick up Toby, but good luck tomorrow!" She said as she opened his door and left.  
  
Now alone, what she said finally started sinking in. 'If I have to present to the senior staff, I have to present to Quistis as well,' He allowed himself to slowly sit down on the bed as he rubbed his palms across his face. "I can't do this."  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------  
  
The next morning...  
  
Quistis stretched out as she stared at the bland colored ceiling above her. What was she supposed to do? Aside from her classes and meetings she'd never really done much else. Reaching over her head for the alarm clock she knew to be somewhere on her night stand, she rolled over on her bed and gaped at the clock in shock.  
  
"Only nine fifty-six!" She complained. "What am I supposed to do with a day off? Could you tell me that Cid?" She grinned to herself. 'Been off of work for a few hours and already I'm going crazy,' She thought as she rolled out of bed. Clad in a mere spaghetti strap short shorts outfit suited well for Balamb beach, she pulled on a pair of sandals and picked up her cell phone. Punching Xu's number without even looking she stepped out of her room and started towards the parking garage. She kept walking while she listened to the ringing and waited patiently for her friend to answer her phone. Behind her in the hall, any and all the treppies within a visual proximity of her were either stopped dead in their tracks or at least distracted. Unbeknownst to Quistis, one of her devoted followers so entranced by seeing her in such a revealing outfit, continued walking while intently watching her and ended up missing his doorway and walking into the wall.  
  
Quistis snapped the phone shut with annoyance and then stopped walking when she realized what Xu not answering a phone meant. "She's in some sort of meeting," She said aloud as she dialed Squall's number. When he didn't answer either she made a run for the elevator, jumping over the down treppie who was still trying to figure out how he'd managed to walk into a wall. She ran up the steps and caught the elevator's door before it closed. Inside she was irritated to see Seifer. Sure they got along now but he still tended to enjoy provoking her. As if on que, he took note at her annoyed expression and winked at her.  
  
"Give me a break," She mumbled as she hit the third floor button rather hard. Seifer looked at her and put his hand out to block the door.  
  
"Before this elevator goes anywhere we have to get two things straight. One, that was a wink of instigation trying to spark an always entertaining argument not a hint that I think you're cute or anything," He paused. "Cause I don't. I mean, sure you're cute but I have a girlfriend and all so it just wouldn't work out." Quistis glared at him with a look of a mad woman. Seifer looked around surprised.  
  
"Of all the low accusations you've ever made to even suggest that I would be in the least bit attracted to you would be a complete and ridiculous joke because I'll have you know..."  
  
"Hey hey hey!" Seifer raised up his hand to silence her. "This brings me to my second item of business." Quistis crossed her arms as she fought to control herself. "Whatever's up with you, its not pms related is it?" Quistis' jaw dropped. "Because if it is let me know right now so I can just get off this elevator." Quistis narrowed her eyes and looked around in disbelief.  
  
"You're such a smart ass!" She shouted as she pushed him back away from the door and waited for the elevator to start moving. "Don't say another word," She warned him as she watched him fight back a grin. "Seifer I mean it."  
  
"Yes instructor ma'am," He teased her.  
  
"Today is not the day," She warned.  
  
He tossed his hands up. "What's the matter with you? You're no fun today," He waited for a moment and grinned when he saw her turn away from him so he couldn't see her face. "Did someone steal your uniforms forcing you to wear pink to work? Want me to kick their ass? I will."  
  
Quistis laughed lightly at the absurd suggestion he'd come up with. "You're an idiot. And you're not funny," She said as the door slid open and she stepped off.  
  
"I'm not funny and yet I made you laugh?" He called after her. "Whatever Instructor. I know you love me." She stopped as a silence filled the lobby around her. What few SeeDs were on the floor paused what they were doing at the statement. She turned to him and stared in horror at his statement.  
  
"Not hardly I assure you," She said. "Just curiousity, how much sugar have you had today?"  
  
Seifer shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't keep track of that stuff."  
  
"Maybe you should," She said as she shook her head and pushed conference room's door open. She gaped in shock as she realized that Xu, Squall and Cid were having a meeting without her presence. "What is going on here?" She asked more hurt than angry. As she stepped in the room she looked around and then jumped a little in surprise at Nida whom she hadn't realized was standing near the door next to the podium. She stared at all of them while Nida went completely blank and couldn't tear himself away from the uncharacteristically dressed woman before him. 


	5. Tense Moments

Disclaimer- Sadly, Final Fantasy VIII is not mine....so sad....

Author's notes- this took just shy of what seemed like forever to update. It was a hard chapter made even harder by work....sorry.

JadeAlmasy- Glad you thought it was funny. That's what I was going for.

element6- But but....I did! Here's the next chapter.

ameli- First off, you spelled your own name wrong. Secondly, I'm glad you liked that scene. It was just something I made up off the top of my head.

Aratcorien - Yes, Seifer does know women. lol Glad you liked it.

Shekae- Nida rocks! Yeah I've always liked him and felt that he should have a larger part then what he was given in the game. Thanks for the review.

Tense Moments

Cid leaned back in his seat as he listened to Nida's surprisingly lengthy presentation. It surprised him how a student with this boy's intelligence had managed to avoid the notice of his instructors. He grinned subtly as he listened to Nida's recommendation on replacing the Garden's current and original navigational system with a more precise system of Estharian make. Off to his left, he could see Xu shifting in her seat and Selphie watching her with knowing eyes. Xu had definitely been proven wrong and Selphie was more than likely going to make sure she remembered it. 'That's my little girl,' He thought with a smile.

Out of the corner of his eye he caught Selphie whispering to Xu. How rude was that? She'd pleaded and protested for Nida to get this chance and now she wasn't even going to hear him speak. 'Women,' Squall thought to himself as he clasped his hands loosely on the desk before him. Regardless of Selphie's actions and Xu's skepticism he was going to hear his former classmate out. Perhaps it would be wise to train Nida. It was important for Balamb Garden to be as self-sufficient as possible. He was pulled from his thoughts as Nida stumbled over a word. 'But the Estharian engineers are professionals,' He thought. 'I don't know.'

Xu twirled her pen between her fingers as she listened to him speak. He noticed and watched her from the corner of his eye. She grinned encouragingly. Perhaps she'd been too hasty to jump to judgment. Beside her, Selphie smiled victoriously as she nudged her in the side.

"He's looking for Quistis," Xu said under her breath.

"Mmm hmm," Selphie responded. As if on que, the door flew open and in stepped a fuming Instructor Trepe.

"What is going on here?" She asked. Everyone fell silent as she stared in disbelief at the four people across the desk from her. Squall immediately looked away and towards Cid who was surprisingly looking over at Squall uneasily. "What's going on here?" She repeated. Xu covered her eyes while Selphie looked down at the desk. "Well?" Nida was just left gaping at the way she was dressed. Mouth agape, he fumbled with the papers in his hands and ended up just letting them fall on the top of the podium. After somewhat composing himself, he looked up to see her staring back at him. He tried to offer her a weak smile but he wasn't entirely sure his mouth actually moved. She looked at him for a minute longer before turning back to the others. "With all do respect, what is going on here? Squall?" All eyes on him, Squall subconsciously slid down lower in his seat.

"Quistis Dear," Cid interjected. She turned her full attention to him, thankful that someone had an answer for her. "You should be enjoying your day off. I assure you we were doing nothing more than a preliminary interview with Mr. Poe here."

"Its Roe," Squall said under his breath.

"That's what I said," Cid insisted. Squall leaned his head in his hands on the desk. "Anyway, back to what I was saying. I can assure you that you are not being left out of any kind of decision. Now go on and return to your day off."

"But..." She tried to protest.

"Go enjoy your day off. You of all people deserve it." Quistis looked back at Nida and then Xu and then left. Pulling the door closed behind her she sighed and leaned her head against the wall.

-----------

The rain drops echoed off of the tin roofing as the mother and daughter sat inside, listening to it quietly. Neither looked at one another, they just resolved to stare at nothing of any real significance. The mother, leaning on her elbows, stood up and collected her things.

"I'm off to work. Stay out of trouble while I'm gone," She said as she dug through her purse. When she received no answer she looked up, raven hair falling into her eyes. "Can I get a response please?"

"Sure yeah, whatever Sarah," Her daughter said as she stared out the window at the rain.

Her mother looked up at her in annoyance but chose to avoid an impending argument. "So when's your brother coming back? Amira!"

"I don't know!" Amira shouted back at her. "You probably ran him off."

"Do not talk to me like that young lady!" Sarah said sternly.

"Or what? You'll send me off too?" Her remark earned her a swift slap on the face.

"Get up to your room!" Sarah shouted.

-----------------

Quistis jabbed at the remnants of her lunch while Xu droned on about some new crush she had. She always had a crush on someone and yet she never acted upon it, so nothing happened. Same old story, same old gossip, same old Xu. The metal of her fork screeched against the glass salad plate.

"Oww!" Xu cried out as she covered her ears. "Geez Quisty that hurt." Quistis grinned triumphantly. "That's not funny, that really hurt."

"Wuss," Quistis said as she wiped up the dressing with a piece of lettuce. Xu stared at her for a minute.

"Am not," She stated.

"Is that the best comeback you could come up with?" Quistis asked dryly as she took a sip of her tea and pulled out her grade book.

"Hey," Xu placed her hand over the book's contents.

"Hey," Quistis mimicked her as she pushed her hand off.

"Oh Quistis, its your day off," Xu protested. Quistis sighed as she put the book away and leaned back in her seat. Both girls sat silently for a moment.

"So what's going on?" Quistis asked.

Xu looked up quickly, dumping the contents of her fork on the table. "What do you mean?" Quistis narrowed her eyes. "What?"

"You know what I mean," She answered. Xu looked around.

"No, I don't," She protested.

"Yes you do," Quistis argued.

"What are you talking about?"

"I am talking about all of you in the conference room holding an interview without me!" Quistis snapped as she stood abruptly and slammed her hands down on the table. Everyone in the cafeteria quieted for a moment. Xu looked around at them and then back up at a glaring Quistis. Getting bored with the situation, the average students and SeeDs went back to their previous preoccupations. The remaining three quarters of the room sat silently as they watched their idol lay down the law. Her every word, every action, held their total attention. Right now, they were watching their lady in skimpy pink proclaim the dominance and authority they all knew she possessed. Quistis broke her glare on Xu and looked around at all the people staring at her.

"Can we talk about this later?" Xu asked under her breath, the weight of the treppie glares starting to bother her.

"No, we'll talk now," Quistis said as she sat down. Xu began to look uncomfortable. "All I want to know is what is going on."

"Okay okay," We were holding a preliminary interview with him to see if he was qualified for senior engineer. It was just a preliminary, you've missed those before."

"Because I was off on work!" Quistis argued.

"Quistis!" Xu stood up. "You're just having withdrawals from work."

"What? No, no its nothing like that."

"Yes it is!" Xu protested. "And you know what? You wouldn't have this problem if you had someone to keep you busy." Quistis' jaw dropped at the statement along with every treppie's in the room.

"Someone to keep me busy?" She asked numbly.

"I said something," Xu answered.

"No you didn't," Quistis narrowed her eyes.

"Yes I did....didn't I?"

"Look I may not have a boyfriend but I...just don't have time for one." Xu nodded unconvincingly. "Hey this isn't even any of your business okay. Besides, you don't even have a boyfriend. Who are you to speak?"

"First off, I said something not someone. Normal people have hobbies outside of work. That's all I was suggesting. And just to clear things up, yes, I do have a boyfriend," Xu said quickly. "Who did you think I was talking about earlier?"

Quistis raised her eyebrows in interest. "I didn't catch that part."

Xu crossed her arms. "Were you ignoring me?" She stared at her friend in disbelief.

"No!" Quistis thought for a second. "Well, I acknowledged that you were speaking but I didn't pay enough mind to actually listen to your words."

"Oh gee I feel appreciated," Xu stepped closer to Quistis.

"Oh gee I do to," Quistis mimicked her. "You had the nerve to sit by me after lying about an interview that I happened to walk in on! Of course I ignored you! I was mad!"

"Well you know what! I didn't want to keep you out of that room! I played along because it was important to Cid and Selphie! They wanted to see him speak comfortably!"

Quistis stared at her completely baffled. "What are you talking about?"

Xu's jaw dropped. "You mean you don't know?"

"Know what?" Quistis asked in a hushed voice. Xu grinned and leaned forward.

"Look, this was nothing against you. Its just that we were afraid he wouldn't be able to speak with you there."

"Why's that?" Quistis looked genuinely confused.

"Because," She pulled Quistis closer. "He's practically in love with you! The poor guy can barely form words in your presence!" Quistis jumped back in surprise and bumped into the treppies who'd leaned in closer to hear Xu's hushed words.

"Do you guys mind?" Quistis snapped at them. Every treppie in the room hurriedly backed up a few feet. She narrowed her eyes at her best friend. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing," Xu stifled a grin. Quistis crossed her arms. "He's single you know." Their audience gasped. Quistis looked nervously over her shoulder.

"I don't have time for a boyfriend, no," Quistis said as she collected her dishes and walked off.

"All you need is a little time here and there. Oh come on, he's nice, and shy. You won't have to worry about him trying anything..."

"Xu!" Quistis snapped.

"He's not a treppie," Xu winked at her. Quistis started to roll her eyes but caught the look of her devoted following.

"Not a treppie," She said to where only Xu could hear her. "Hmm," She said loud enough for everyone else to hear. "I'll tell you what, I'm going to take a shower, I'll meet you at the front gate. Be ready for the beach and we'll talk about this friend of yours." A broad grin crossed Xu's face as she followed Quistis out.

Left alone in the room, the treppies stared in disbelief at the spot in which Quistis was just standing. "Let's go! We have to find out who they were talking about!" Treppie #2 shouted to the others.

--------

"You shouldn't fight with her you know," He words came out softly as he laid sprawled on his back, feet kicked up on his headboard. "Ami, I know things get really tense but you just can't...I mean...just don't start the fights okay?" He stared at his bland ceiling with contempt. Whoever decided the standard paint had to beige....or the cheapest equivalent of it needed to be shot. "So anyway, I guess I'll see you before too long. Rumor in the garden is the next garden fest is going to be held in Dollet." He smiled at her excited reaction as he held the phone away from his ear. "Quiet," He laughed lightly. "You're supposed to be in trouble. Don't make it worse by letting her hear you." He listened to her as he let his right hand slide off the bed and land on the cold floor. His fingers came across the thin of his paint brush's handle and he tossed it lightly up in the air. He watched silently as small object spun in the air and then landed soundlessly in his palm. "You've got to see my new stuff. Its nothing too big.....but you'd like it." He paused. "Selphie wants me to set up a booth at the festival. What do you think? Are my old paintings and sketches still in the top bedroom? Oh, that's good." Hearing a slight shuffling sound, he rolled over on his stomach and looked to the open doorway. "Can I help you?" He asked the student in the hallway. The boy ignored his question and simply walked away. Slightly disturbed, he sat up and returned his attention to his phone conversation. "I don't know who that was. Think it was one of those obsessive treppies. You haven't heard of them?" He laughed. "Let me tell you, they're ridiculous. They're basically a following of SeeD and student alike that have proclaimed their utmost obsession over Quistis Trepe. Its kinda disturbing...if you think about it. There are hundreds...at least." His phone beeped at him. "Hey Ami, I'll call you a little later okay? Stay out of trouble. Okay by." He flipped his phone shut and walked to his doorway.

Speaking of Quistis had refreshed his memories of that morning. She'd seemed very surprised and upset. Deciding he would somehow make things better, he pulled off his shirt and pulled a clean one on. He would figure something out. As a matter of fact, he'd do something he seldom succeeded in doing. He'd talk to her.

--------

Frustrated, she dug through her dresser drawer for her bathing suit. She knew she had one. A quick glance at her clock reminded her that she was running late.

'Xu's probably on her way up here now thinking that I'm not going,' She thought bitterly as she tossed a handful of undergarments on the desk beside her. If she had to completely rearrange her living quarters to find the over priced swimming garment she would. Growing increasingly aggravated, she pulled her still damp hair back while barely managing to keep her towel on. A knock echoed from the door behind her. She glanced over her shoulder and sighed. Xu was really an impatient person. Annoyed, Quistis stepped over to the door and punched the release button.

"Look Xu whenever I find my bathing suit we can go, until then..." She slowly stopped speaking as she stared at the young man in the doorway. "You're not Xu," Her voice was soft and barely came out.

"No," He replied as he looked towards the floor. "This is a bad time."

"No," Quistis argued as she tried to secure her towel. To her horror she felt the fabric slip and slide past her fingers. As if in slow motion, all she could do was watch helplessly as the towel fell to her feet. Once what had happened registered she dropped to the ground and quickly re-wrapped it around herself.

Hand held over his eyes, he stepped backwards into the hall. "I-I-I'll j-just come back later or some-thing." Quistis found herself unable to respond as he hastily disappeared from her line of sight. Pressing the button to shut her door she allowed herself to lean against the wall and slide to the floor.

"That did not just happen," She mumbled to herself. Beside her the door slid open abruptly and in stepped Xu.

"Hey why aren't you ready yet?" She asked. Quistis looked up at her from her seat on the cold tile and then just hid her face. "Quistis?"


	6. Ami

Disclaimer- I am but a lowly fan who enjoys amusing herself and others with the subject of her fanfiction. If I honestly owned Final Fantasy VIII I wouldn't be fretting about being in-between jobs.

Author's Notes- You're still reading? YAY! Thanks to a few website updates I can no longer use some of my more traditional expressions to separate scenes and situations. I do still use '...' to signify thoughts and "..." to signify spoken words. Don't get these confused...or things may get confusing.

Verdiani- Thank you, thank you.

Sulou- Thanks! Hey, I was a die hard Seiftis until I remembered poor Nida...

Aratcorien- I have fun picking at the treppies...I even hint to Irvine accumulating his own little following in Leather-bound. ;) Glad you liked the phone call. I had to find some way of giving Nida a way to express himself in a healthy/normal fashion. The end...was fun...it took a while to write it...I couldn't find the right words...

Crescent Pearl- Never fear for I have updated! This is a bit of a transition chapter...you'll like the next one. ;)

S ans blah- Yes he did. (Laughs) Glad you like it.

Element6- Glad you liked the last scene. Haha. I figured a few people may appreciate it. I slacked off a bit...but at least I'm still updating...right?

MadHattess- I finally updated this fic! Yay! Glad you liked the bit of embarrassment as well. :)

Ami

The evening sun hanged low over the Dolletian skyline. From the Quad, all that was distinguishable of the city was its dark silhouette against the brilliantly orange sky. Around him, all the members of the Garden Festival Committee rushed and scurried about in an attempt to finish last minute projects. He stared out at the city mournfully. When Selphie had first informed him that the festival was being held in Dollet he'd been less than thrilled. Now he was beginning to wish he'd never agreed to become involved.

"Nida! Hey Nida!" He turned at the sound of Selphie's voice. "Hey," She paused to catch her breath and then looked at the unfinished banner spread out beside them. "Is everything alright?"

He looked down at the half-painted project and then up at her. "Yeah, don't worry about it. I'll have this thing ready to hang before midnight."

The smile on Selphie's face grew wider. "That's great. After that all we'll have to do is set up the booths...but I was asking if you were alright."

"Oh," He laughed, slightly embarrassed. "I'm okay."

"You sure?" From back there you looked sad." He gazed out towards the coastline.

"Nah, I was just looking out at the scenery."

"Oh," Selphie said as she watched some of the committee members around them. "Well okay." She paused. "I've set aside room for your booth..."

"You think I should really have one?" He asked.

"Oh come on! I'm sure you have something you could sell."

"Think so?"

"Heck yeah!" She assured him. "Shoot, you could probably sell sketches...surely you have sketches." He smiled faintly. "There you go!" She grinned as she slapped his arm lightly. "I was kinda wondering if you were planning on staying for the whole festival too."

He shook his head. 'Let Quistis see me at such a high profile ball with the clothes I have? That's a joke. And considering what all's happened these last few days? Eighteen years of work, washed completely down the drain. I'd rather sit home and sulk about it.'

"Oh come on! You're always the skeptic! It'll be fun!" She protested.

He shook his head again.

"You're going!"

A shy smile crossed his face. "Selphie...I don't have anyone to go to a ball with...and besides, I can't dance."

"Excuses excuses," She teased as she put her hands on her hips. "If my Irvy cut a rug you surely can."

Nida looked away, hiding his reddening face. "No...no I don't think so."

"And as far as you not having a date...let me handle that one for you." He paled at her words and spun around hastily.

'Oh please no,' He begged silently.

"Oh come on!" She bit her bottom lip to try and contain her excitement. "Don't you worry about a thing! Just get this banner finished and have your booth set up by eight tomorrow morning."

"I can't go Selphie," He protested.

Her face fell.

"I'm sorry but I can't."

"Oh, okay then," she directed her attention down to the smudge on the floor that she rubbed at with the toe of her boot. "I won't bug you anymore."

Feeling guilty he looked around to see if anyone else was around. "I can't Selphie. Even if I wanted to, the ball's being held at Summit Hall. That's a really classy place. I don't have the proper attire."

She looked up at him quickly. "Is that it?"

He nodded slowly. 'I just nodded! That means I have to go now....great, Quistis is going to be there! I can't face her!' His mind screamed.

She grinned broadly. "I can fix you up if you want. And don't worry, I promise you'll look great!"

He looked around nervously and then nodded with a smile. "I'd appreciate that," He responded.

"Glad to help!" She exclaimed as he knelt down next to his banner and picked up a brush. He waited until she'd occupied herself with another committee member before he looked at the darkening silhouette on the coastline. Letting the light wind blow through his hair, he closed his eyes and sighed.

* * *

He awoke the next morning, well before sunrise. Not bothering with a shower, he pulled his t-shirt and running shoes on to accompany his swimming trunks. Balamb Garden was eerily quiet this early. Only a handful of posted guards were to be seen as he made his way down the main hall and out the main exit.

The early morning ocean breeze greeted him as he stepped onto the dock built up to Garden's entrance. The wood beneath his feet creaked with every step he took. The world seemed so silent around him. Up ahead, he could see a few sea shell hunters scouring the beach. A cool gust of wind sent shivers across his body as he looked down at the dark water below. He took in a deep breath and pulled his shirt off. His once covered skin broke out in goose bumps as he pulled his shoes off as well. Leaving the articles of clothing in the middle of the dock, he stepped up to the edge. The hardened wood felt oddly comforting under his bare feet. He stood, at the midway point between Balamb Garden's floating form and the beach for only a moment. Then, he took a deep breath and plunged into the water below.

The cool water sent jolts through his body with every wave that lifted him and crashed down over him. The muscles in his arms and legs seemed to grow stronger and more energized as he swam farther. They began to burn slightly as he continued swimming. It felt rewarding to be doing something so physically challenging. His lungs throbbed from the cold, salty air he was gulping every time the bay waves gave him a chance. He was alone in the dark water. He stopped swimming and looked around. The sun was beginning to light the horizon gold and it laced the tips of distant waves. His view of the sunrise was blocked by the mammoth shape of Garden some seventy feet away. He stared at its enormous silhouette and then began swimming for it. Small waves, triggered by the Garden's slight bobbing in the water, pummeled him as he neared it. One wave knocked him under. He resurfaced quickly, coughing and spitting the harsh salty water. Now an arms-distance away, he reached out and touched it with his palm. He watched the watery trails his fingers left on the hull as the garden rose once again and then fell. Another wave. He was pushed back a few feet and again went under. With a grin he resurfaced. 'This is so cool,' He thought to himself as he approached Balamb Garden yet again and placed his hand on its hull. "Magnificent," He said in awe as he leaned his head back and looked up at the lightening sky illuminating the military facility. Another wave pushed him back. Deciding it was best to get started on the morning's work, he swam alongside the dock until he found the ladder mounted a quarter of the way towards the shore. Testing it to make sure it wasn't going to come loose, he began climbing upwards. The cool breeze sent shivers along his wet body as he gripped the metal ladder.

"Nida?"

He jumped at the voice, nearly falling from the ladder.

"Sorry," Xu reached for him, thinking he wasn't going to catch himself.

"Its okay," He laughed as he pulled himself up on the dock and shook the water from his hair. He shivered involuntarily as she retracted her hand. He habitually crossed his arms tightly across his chest to cover up anything not hidden by the darkness of Garden's shadow.

"Water cold?"

"More like the wind," He answered as he looked out at the water.

"Ah," Xu followed his gaze back towards Balamb Garden. "What were you doing over there?"

"Ever stare up at the enormous size of Garden?"

"Not from the water."

"Its amazing."

She raised a skeptical eyebrow.

He rolled his eyes. "Say what you want, you only look at things from common angles."

"Oh! He just told you," Quistis said under her breath. Nida turned quickly and realized for the first time that Xu wasn't alone. Partially hidden behind her friend, Quistis avoided making eye contact with him. He jumped up and found his feet quickly. Xu raised an eyebrow as he looked nervously to the ground.

"S-So um, what're you doing up and about so early?" He scratched the back of his neck nervously and then crossed his arms again.

"Breakfast and coffee," Xu answered as she turned from him to Quistis. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," Quistis answered at the same time as Nida. Xu crossed her arms and glanced suspiciously at both of them.

"What are you guys hiding? I will find out," She looked Nida over and then turned her attention to Quistis.

"Nida! Nida!" A young girl's voice broke the awkwardness that was beginning to get suffocating.

"Ami?" He asked as he turned to face her.

"Hey come on! We have sooo much work to do!" She said as she pulled at his arm. He eagerly followed her, thankful for the intervention. She knelt down and quickly scooped up his shoes and shirt and thrust them up in his arms. Thankful she'd released his arm, he quickly draped his shirt over his left wrist and hand and tucked his shoes in the crook of his right elbow.

"You saved me," He laughed as he followed her across the sand and up the metal staircase that led to the city.

"Yeah I know. You looked so distressed," She teased. "You owe me." She grinned. "Sorry I couldn't have come sooner. I had to wait for Sarah to leave," She apologized.

"No problem," He answered as he pulled on his shoes and shirt. "Amira..." He stopped walking. She turned to face him.

"What?" She asked, raven hair falling into her eyes.

"Sarah doesn't know I'm here does she," He frowned.

"As if she'd let us hang out," Amira rolled her eyes. "Of course not." Nida shook his head as he stared at her. "Come on! She only stays out for morning coffee for half an hour. We have to get in and get out."

* * *

Three blocks and two houses to the east...

"So am I essentially breaking and entering my own house?" He asked from his perch along the first story overhang.

"Depends on how you look at it I guess," Amira joked as she carefully climbed up after him.

"Don't you fall."

"I won't...geez you're a worry wart big brother."

"Hey," He pointed a finger at her. "You're not exactly the most cautious person I know."

She sighed. "Hey I didn't mean to lock the house key in the house okay."

"Yeah I know," He answered as he stepped up on the window sill and reached for the roof's edge. "If I get up here without falling and breaking my neck, I know I can get the attic window open."

"Cool! We're climbing through the attic!" She grinned.

"No," He said sternly. "I'm climbing through the attic. You're waiting here."

She frowned.

"Don't," He warned.

She plopped down on the overhang in which she had been standing and crossed her arms defiantly. "You better hurry," She said. "Sarah's been gone twenty minutes."

"Great," He groaned as he got both elbows on the roof top above his head and pulled his body up. Kicking his right leg up, he got most of his body on the second story roof and then rolled over onto his back. He took a deep breath as he stared up at the brightening sky. "I'm up," He announced as he examined the window in the small tower that protruded from the second story. He pushed on the corners of it and watched as the whole window opened about an inch. "The lock's coming out of the wood," He shouted down to her as he stuck his finger in-between the window and the wall and flipped the hook upwards. The window fell open.

"Hurry!" She shouted.

"I am," He grunted as he slid in the window and dropped down onto the attic floor. Stumbling through the darkness, he came to the middle of the room where the doorway was supposed to be and put his weight on it. The door, fitted with a fold away ladder, fell open, dumping him into the second story hallway with a thud. He winced as the springs caused the door to slam shut overhead. Quickly finding his feet, he rushed into Amira's bedroom and unlocked the window.

"Took you long enough," She complained as she practically fell inside and quickly pushed herself up off the floor. "Sarah will be here any minute!" He followed her downstairs and then into the basement. "I hid all your art stuff once I realized she was gettin' rid of most of what was yours. I put em in these two suitcases." He followed her gaze to two tattered looking green suitcases. She handed one to him and was reaching for the other when they heard the door upstairs creak open.

"She's here," Amira whispered.

"Let's get out of here," He said urgently as he looked for another way out.

"The window," She said as she climbed up on a chair and pushed her suitcase out a small window. He handed her the second suitcase so she could do the same with it and then lifted her up so she could climb out as well.

Holding the window open on the outside, she waited tensely as he squeezed through the small opening. He looked around at the mud they now sat in.

"It's rained here recently hasn't it," He frowned.

"Yup," She grinned. "You're filthy."

"You're one to talk," He joked as he wiped his muddy palm on her cheek.

She laughed as she tried to do the same to him. He ducked out of the way.

"Come on, we can clean up back in my dorm room," He said under his breath as he crawled alongside the house, just under the kitchen window, and then hurried across the street. She grinned mischievously as she followed suite and then handed her suitcase to him.

"This is sooo cool. We were like spies, infiltrating an enemy camp!" She laughed. He laughed too as he broke into a run.


	7. Sisterly Torment

Disclaimer- I OWN FINAL FANTASY VIII!!!!!!! If you honestly believe that you're more gullible than I originally thought.  
  
Author's notes- Yes I'm still having computer problems and am lucky to get this chapter out to you. I hope it doesn't seem rushed...it was supposed to be a quik, breif chapter. Also, the next Unsilenced chapter is also in the works, its just lengthier and more complex than this one...  
  
MadHattess-You know, now that I stop to think about it, you're right.  
  
Element6-Haha! Nida is a dork...but that's not really so bad is it? I'm a dork occasionally...  
  
Verdiani-Glad you liked it so much. Glad you're still reviewing. lol  
  
Aratcorien-I was so tempted to make Quistis think that about Amira, but that would be a whole other chapter or two. lol  
  
Sisterly Torment  
  
They watched as the Garden Festival Committee Members rushed around them in an attempt to make last minute adjustments to their booths and banners. A few of them actually seemed frantic. Nida smiled faintly as he watched them.  
  
'Always procrastinating,' He mused. Sitting cross-legged on his display table in front of him, his little sister picked up and bit into another one of his glazed donuts. She chewed for a few seconds and then looked at him quizzically.  
  
"What?" He asked as he fingered his untouched donut.  
  
"So who were those pretty ladies?" She asked in a funny tone of voice.  
  
"Huh?" He looked up at her in feined confusion and then finally bit into his donut.  
  
"Don't huh me, I saw you down there on the dock with them this morning."  
  
He stared at her in disbelief and then laughed nervously. "Ami, those were two of my colleagues. If you want to get technical, those are two of my superiors."  
  
"Oh really now?" she grinned as she took another bite.  
  
"Amira, let's just drop it."  
  
She looked back at him quickly. "Aha! So you do like one of them!" He looked around to be sure no one was listening in. "So is it the brunette or the pretty blonde."  
  
He shoved his donut back in the bag and hid his face in his hands. "Ami..." He groaned.  
  
"What?" She asked innocently. "There's nothing wrong with having a crush on someone. Come on, please tell."  
  
He groaned. "Ami, Quistis and Xu are both very pretty ladies..."  
  
"So you like Quistis?" Her eyes widened. "You mean Quistis as in Quistis Trepe?"  
  
"What? No...I mean yes...just forget I answered," He mumbled.  
  
"Dude that is sooo cool! You could date Quistis Trepe!" She squealed. He looked up at her in dismay.  
  
"Could you shout that just a little bit louder? I don't think she heard it back inside the Garden," He playfully scolded her. She covered her mouth quickly and started laughing. He shook his head and laughed as well.  
  
"Seriously, she was acting so bashful around you. I may only be thirteen, but I could still tell, she is so into you," She playfully slugged him in the shoulder. He rubbed at his eyes as he hid his reddening face. "You think I'm joking don't you," She continued to embarrass him. She paused as she noticed a pair of committee members listening in on their conversation. Neither one of them looked pleased as they stood staring at her. She narrowed her almond shaped eyes at them. "You boys got a problem?" She asked as she dropped what was left of her donut in the bag. Nida looked up quickly to see who she was talking to.  
  
"Instructor Trepe isn't seeing anyone and has yet to announce any interests that she has," The first boy said.  
  
"Uh hello, its called body language," She crossed her arms.  
  
"Ami," Nida said under his breath. "Those are those Trepies that I told you about." She looked back at him and then over to the boys.  
  
"Oh...I gotcha," She grinned. "So you two are part of the mindless cult referred to as treppies. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to shatter your little world." She rolled her eyes and then grinned at her older brother.  
  
"You have no idea what you've just started," He spoke softly as he tossed the bag of uneaten donuts in the trash can behind them.  
  
"You're right," She shrugged and then hopped of the table. "But if it involves any kind of verbal conflict or debate, it sounds like fun."  
  
Nida shook his head as he pulled out a pad of paper and a few sticks of charcoal. He closed his eyes as a cool breeze played with the material of his muscle shirt and hair. A slight tickling sensation traced down from his shoulder towards his elbow. His eyes snapped open as he stared at his giggling little sister.  
  
"You look like you've gotten a lot stronger since the last time I saw you," She said as she traced her finger lightly down to where his wrists were wrapped. He shrugged away from her.  
  
"That tickles," He laughed.  
  
She laughed.  
  
"Strength is always a nice thing to have when there's a chance that you're occupation might leave you fighting for you're life," He grinned.  
  
"You know what would be cool?" She asked as she watched the first of a large crowd of people enter the festival areas.  
  
"What?" He asked as he took went ahead and pulled out a pair of seascape paintings.  
  
"A tattoo."  
  
He looked down at her. "I don't think they look good on girls."  
  
"Not for me," She quickly corrected him. "They use needles to put those things on people. I meant for you."  
  
"Right," He laughed. "Let them poke and jab at me for hours huh."  
  
"I'm serious!"  
  
"Of that I really have no doubt," He shot her a skeptical glance.  
  
She smiled. "Oh hey there's your girl!"  
  
Instinctively looked up and then regretted it as his eyes locked with hers. To his relief, a lady with her husband came up to his booth and interrupted his view. He smiled to the couple and watched as they picked through his paintings.  
  
"Good morning," He greeted them. "Good morning," The lady answered as she held up one of his paintings. "You don't have a price on this one. Would you take ninety gil for it?" Amira nearly choked on the candy she was eating.  
  
"Which one?" Nida asked as he leaned forward to see which one it was. "Yes Ma'am," He answered her. She tilted her head to the side as she scrutinized it. Nida and Amira shot each other hopeful glances as they waited.  
  
-----  
  
From across the walkway, Xu looked through a menagerie of hand crafted quilts as she secretly kept an eye on Quistis. Running her fingers across the material of the one on top, she slowly moved to the next booth. Quistis absently followed her.  
  
"Do you know what would be cute?" Xu asked as she scanned the necklaces and beadwork on the table before her.  
  
"What?" Quistis asked.  
  
"You and Nida snuggled up in one of those quilts."  
  
Quistis' jaw dropped as her face burned bright red. "Xu!"  
  
"What?" Xu laughed as Quistis slapped her lightly on the arm. "After I finally told you what happened, how could you say something like that?"  
  
Xu grinned. "Well you are blushing so you must not be completely opposed to the idea."  
  
Quistis crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at her. "Instead of trying to get me a boyfriend for you to talk about, why don't you just talk about your own?"  
  
Xu crossed her arms and reflected Quistis' stare. "Maybe I did try and talk about him but someone was too busy trying to be a jerk so they ignored me and missed all of it."  
  
"Maybe, just maybe, that someone's friend intentionally kept her away from an interview and thus made her look like a complete fool."  
  
"Oh no, you did that all on you're own," Xu countered. "But," She cast a glance over to Nida's booth and saw Amira pointing and motioning for Quistis to come over. "I have to go."  
  
"Where?" Quistis asked.  
  
"I have to meet Raijin down at the dock in a few minutes."  
  
"Raijin? You mean the Raijin from the disciplinary committee?"  
  
"Yup," Xu answered as she cast the quilt booth another glance. "I tried to tell you."  
  
"I know," Quistis sighed. "It feels like everyone is leaving me behind..."  
  
"And taking their lives a step further," Xu finished for her. Quistis looked at her, a surprised expression on her face. "Irvine told me about the look on your face the first time that you saw Toby. And everyone's noticed your change in attitude since Squall and Rin had Tempest and Selphie announced she was pregnant." Quistis looked towards the ground.  
  
"Don't turn all this into some exaggerated tale."  
  
"I'm not. But look around, the gang's not what they used to be. We're getting older and growing up," She paused at the thought of Seifer and Zell. "Well, most of us anyways. Do me a favor."  
  
Quistis raised as skeptical eyebrow.  
  
"Don't become so wrapped up in your work and professional appearance that you end up old and alone."  
  
Quistis stared at her. "Are you feeling okay?"  
  
"I'm not playing Quistis. A little romance wouldn't hurt you." Xu watched as Quistis' face took on one of concentration. "Go talk to that treppie quilt girl over there. I bet if you gave her a second of your time, she'd give you a deal." "Get out of here," Quistis playfully pushed Xu away.  
  
"Fine, don't take my advice," Xu said as she turned and walked away. "Call me before the ball and I'll help you with your hair," Xu called out before she disappeared into the crowd. Quistis looked around and then noticed the girl motioning for her to come over. Taking a deep breath, she started walking.  
  
------  
  
Amira looked over at her Nida, who was preoccupied with putting some more gil away in a lock box. She watched as he counted it out and sorted it. "I can't believe that lady paid ninety gil for that painting," She said.  
  
"Why not?" He asked.  
  
"I don't know. That's just a lot of money."  
  
"Yeah," He grinned.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Had she waited ten more minutes I probably would've marked it fifty."  
  
Amira laughed.  
  
He grinned and then slid the box back under his table. For the first time in the last twenty minutes, Amira was quiet. He looked over to see what she was doing and realized she had lured Quistis to his booth. He jumped in surprise and then slowly composed himself.  
  
"Hi there," Amira smiled. "Can we help you find anything?"  
  
Quistis shook her head as she looked over the paintings he had on display. Nida watched silently as her thin fingers lifted yet another canvas. Amira watched him watch her with a smile. His breaths seemed quick and shallow. A loose strand of hair fell into Quistis' face and she tucked it behind her ear without a thought. Nida watched her in a trance. Amira grinned as she watched her older brother and then noticed the two SeeDs over at the next booth. She stood up and walked around the table to help Quistis sort through the paintings, purposely blocking the treppie's views. Both boys looked at her in annoyance. She smiled smugly and then showed Quistis one of her favorite drawings.  
  
"This is one of my favorites," She said.  
  
"She's beautiful," Quistis agreed with her as she studied the woman in the drawing. Amira let her look at the drawing for a moment and took the time to cast Nida a mischievous smile. He paled and mouthed the word no.  
  
"You know, you're really pretty too." There was a suffocating silence that seemed to engulf the four teenagers around her. Amira grinned at the effect she was having on them.  
  
"Thank you," Quistis said quietly.  
  
"I'm sure guys tell you that all the time," Amira continued. Nida stared at her in horror.  
  
"Um," Quistis smiled lightly. "Not as much as you're probably thinking," She cast Amira a glance and then realized she was looking across the table. She followed her gaze to an embarrassed Nida. She looked back down to the drawing and suppressed a grin.  
  
"Hey Ami," Nida tried to get his sister's attention.  
  
"Do you have a boyfriend?" Amira asked as she giddily wrapped her arms around herself.  
  
"No," Quistis answered uneasily.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Ami," Nida said.  
  
"A pretty girl like you can't get a boyfriend? Boy the rest of us are in trouble." Quistis turned and looked over at her and laughed lightly. "I'm serious." "I don't have a boyfriend because..." Quistis paused. Everyone hanged on her words, the rest of the crowd around them momentarily disappeared. "I don't know," She nervously laughed it off. "Oh," Amira looked down at the ground. The treppies watched her with glaring eyes. "My brother's a nice person...He would make a good boyfriend."  
  
Quistis stared at her in dismay and seemed at a loss for words. Nida had grown a shade paler and could only bury his face in his hands.  
  
"Ami," His voice was muffled. "Please shut up." Taken aback, Amira quieted.  
  
"No, its alright," Quistis whispered. She paused and looked at the treppies and Amira. "Could you excuse us?" She asked.  
  
"No problem," She said as she winked at an already humiliated Nida.  
  
Quistis watched her leave and sighed. "I was talking to you two," She lowered her tone of voice and put her hands on her hips. Both boys looked away nervously. "Go!" She exclaimed as she pointed away from their table. Nida watched as they stumbled to their feet and hurried away.  
  
"That was kinda their booth," Nida said, still not making eye contact.  
  
"Oh," She laughed. "Oops."  
  
He finally smiled.  
  
"You know," Quistis grinned as she leaned on her elbows on his table. "I think she's right." He forced himself to look up at her face so that his looking down wouldn't seem as if he were looking down her shirt. "You just might make a pretty good boyfriend."  
  
He stared at her in utter shock. His mouth grew dry and his throat seemed to constrict as his breaths became more hastened and shallow. She smiled.  
  
"Yeah, you seem sweet enough."  
  
He managed a smile and then looked away shyly.  
  
"She's your little sister isn't she," Quistis stated.  
  
"Isn't it obvious?" He took a deep breath to try and calm himself.  
  
She smiled and then stood up. He followed her with his eyes. "You'll be at the ball tonight right?"  
  
"Y-Yeah."  
  
"I'll meet you in front of the quad and then we'll go together?"  
  
He nodded bashfully. "I-Is s-seven-thirty alright?"  
  
"Sounds good to me," She smiled as she took a few steps back. "See you tonight. Don't be late." He watched as she turned and began talking to the girl at the quilt booth across from him. 


	8. Summit

Disclaimer-Sadly, Final Fantasy VIII is not mine....so sad....

MadHattess- The joy of siblings......boy that's a story in itself. lol Thanks for the review.

Element6- Ami is cool. She is everything I was too shy to be when I was a little. Brutally honest....Im having second thoughts about my confession now.

Verdanii- YAY! If you ever stop enjoying reading it you be sure to tell me that way I can fix it.   
;)

s and s blah- Glad you liked it so much. Yes Ami is cool, and the rest....you'll just have to read and see. :)

Cody Smith- I appreciate the review. Thank you.

Mocey Hearth- When I read the first line of your review my heart skipped a beat. I was thinking that you didn't like it, that is until I read the rest. Thanks for your review. I really appreciate it.

**Summit**

The room around him felt cozy. It wasn't necessarily warm or crowded, it was just, cozy. He studied the burnt orange curtains that covered the windows across from him. Definitely not his favorite color but it wasn't that bad. It contributed a lot to the feeling the room gave off.

'Orange is better than the mini-blinds in the dorm rooms,' He thought to himself as he looked around at the bright colored wall hangings and rugs that seemed to fill up the entire apartment.

"Like how we decorated the place?" Selphie asked as she came back into the room holding a royal blue dress shirt.

"Its definitely colorful," He answered as he looked up at the ceiling fan which also appeared have some orange on its blades.

"You not like color?" She asked as she held up the shirt to his chest and studied him.

"On the contrary," He corrected her. "Color is a very nice thing." He looked down at the shirt and took it from her hands. "I just don't have anything remotely as bright as this on my walls."

"Nida."

"What?"

"You don't have anything on your walls."

He shrugged with a grin. "Can't afford it."

Selphie tilted her head to one side. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but what exactly do you spend your money on? I mean you have a SeeD salary just like the rest of us."

"Yeah," He said as he slid the blue shirt on and looked at himself in the mirror. "I pay for Amira's private schooling."

"Ami?" Selphie grinned. "I heard all about her."

"Oh boy," He shook his head.

"Nothing bad," She laughed. "She sounds pretty spunky."

He laughed uneasily. "Spunky's not quite the word."

Selphie smiled as she helped him button the collar. She studied him approvingly as he tucked his shirt in and played with the sleeves. Her gaze paused at his wrists. He noticed and followed her gaze down to them.

"Oh!" He laughed nervously. "I wear these things so often I guess I just forget to take them off."

She laughed lightly as she took his hand and looked for a way to unwrap his wrist. "You don't want to go there with these on. It would ruin the entire ensemble."

He pulled his hand back quickly and unbuttoned the cuff of the sleeve. "I can get it," He assured her. "I mean you still have to get ready don't you?"

"Hey. I happen to be pregnant. I managed to get in a decent dress, but if anyone there has a problem with the way I look they can just get over it or look the other way," She looked over to where Irvine lay, kicked back on the couch. "Him on the other hand, he better not be thinking he can just go in his best denim." She crossed her arms. Nida looked over towards Irvine's reclining form.

"Ya know, I remember back when she'd let me go anywhere in my chaps and duster," Irvine commented. "Now that she's got one in the oven its like I have ta dress better to compensate for her baggy comfy clothes."

"Irvine Wyman Kinneas, if you don't have your dress clothes on in the next ten minutes I'm going to..."She paused at the sound of water coming from down the hall.

"Uh oh," A little voice broke the silence. Irvine and Selphie's eyes locked. Nida

watched them curiously and was surprised to see Irvine leap over the back of the couch and run down the hall.

"The plunger's in the cabinet under the sink!" Selphie called out as she started down the hallway.

"Um Darlin', no its not," Irvine called back.

"What do you mean its not?" She asked.

"I mean its not here!"

"Can't u stop it?"

"What would ya have me do?"

"I don't know. But its going to ruin the carpet." From his spot, still standing in the middle of the living room, Nida could hear Irvine groan. He looked around unsurely, he needed to leave soon. Out of the opening of the hallway, a short little auburn-haired boy appeared. The boy paused and stared at him for a moment. A lopsided grin spread across his face as he waved. Nida waved back. He watched as Toby walked over to the closet and opened the door. His jaw dropped as Toby pulled out the missing plunger and started back towards the bathroom at a leisurely pace.

"Hey Selphie, Toby's got the plunger," Nida called down the hallway as he unwrapped his wrists and then peeled a thin layer of gauze away. Quietly discarding the objects underneath some papers in the trash can, he walked over to the doorway. Toby stopped and looked at him and then continued on his way to the bathroom.

"What?" She asked as she stepped into view. "Give me that," She said as she quickly took the plunger from Toby and tossed it at Irvine. "Sorry about that," Selphie apologized with a laugh as she reentered the room.

"No problem," He answered as he looked past her and into the hallway. "Potty training problems?"

She rolled her eyes playfully. "I wish. He's more interested in what toys he can get to go down when he flushes." Nida grinned. "Hey, don't you need to get going?"

"Yeah, I'll bring all this back tomorrow. Thanks."

"No problem. I'll see you there...hopefully," She said as she looked back down the hallway.

-----

Quistis stood silently and gazed at the fountains in the center of the main hall. A faint smile graced her lips as she listened to the water. Running her gloved hands up along her bare arms, she stepped over to the fountain's ledge.

"Y-You k-know, back when I first started my classes here, I was dared to swim a lap in there." Quistis turned quickly to see Nida standing a few feet behind her.

"Did you?" She asked with a smile.

He nodded as he took a step closer to the ledge.

"Did you really?" She laughed.

"Yes." She looked down at the sparkling water below.

"How was it?"

"It was cold," He admitted.

She laughed. "Did you get caught?"

"Not before I finished my lap," He grinned. She laughed some more. "The faculty threw a fit. They marched me up to Cid's office, dripping wet, and had him call my step-mother."

"How did that go?"

"Disastrous."

"Oh."

"Poor Cid. He wasn't expecting my step-mother to not care. She ended up giving him this lecture about how she sent me to his garden so now I was his problem."

"So what was your punishment?"

"A really long and slow lecture from Cid as to why I shouldn't do reckless things followed by a twelve hour period spent in isolation to think about it."

"Sounds like you made them mad."

He nodded. "I wonder how quickly I could swim a lap in there now."

"Seriously?" Quistis looked at him.

"No, not really," He answered as he paused to look at how the peach color at the top of her dress gradually changed to a crimson that made up the gown's flared bottom. The movement of one of her white gloves caught his attention, snapping him from his studying. He looked up at her face to see her staring back. He looked away quickly. "Sorry, that's just a really cool dress."

"Cool huh?" She tried to mask her amusement.

"Yeah," He answered uncomfortably.

"Thanks."

"I-I m-mean that you're gorgeous, I mean you look beautiful in it, err um, beautiful tonight," He struggled to get the compliment out. She smiled. "We should probably start heading down there."

"We probably should," She agreed as she slipped her arm around his. The muscles in his arm tensed at the unexpected contact but slowly started to relax. "I must say, you look quite handsome tonight."

His face took on a deep shade of crimson. "Thank you."

-----

They walked in a mildly comfortable silence. Nida avoided making it obvious that he was sneaking peaks at her. Not entirely sure if he'd talked too much, he resolved to remain silent until they reached Summit Hall. Quistis walked alongside him, her hand held loosely onto his arm. She watched the moonlight reflect off the water beside the dock. Their footsteps echoed perfectly in time. She grimaced at the discomfort her heels were already causing her feet. Once they reached the end of the dock, she stopped walking and carefully stepped onto the sand. The heels of her shoes sank in, causing the material of her dress to drag the sand. She quickly let go of his arm to gather up the fabric of her dress.

"Having problems?" He asked as he watched her.

"Just a few," She laughed as she looked up at him. "These are three inch heels and they're stuck in the sand. I'm kinda anchored here and its getting sand all over my dress."

"Oh," He looked around t to see if anyone else was around. "Need some help?"

"Yeah," She admitted. Once again, Nida glanced around and then nervously stepped closer to her.

"I-I c-could carry you."

She looked up at him, clearly surprised. She seemed to consider her proposal for a moment and then grinned. "Alright."

Half expecting rejection of some form, it was his turn to look surprised. "Okay," He answered s he placed an arm behind her knees and her back and easily lifted her up into the air. She quickly let of her dress and wrapped her arms around his neck. His heart began to beat faster as he walked across the sand and up a set of stairs. 'Please don't trip, please don't trip,' His mind screamed. When he reached the sidewalk, he sat her down carefully and adjusted the sleeves of his shirt.

"Thank you," She said as she combed her bangs from her eyes. "I can't say anyone's ever done that for me before."

Nida laughed nervously as he led her towards the crowd gathered at the entrance of Summit Hall. "I can't say I've ever done that before."

As they neared the Hall, people began to take notice of them. While most eyes were fixed on Quistis, Nida still couldn't help but to feel a little uncomfortable. "I hope you can dance Mr. Roe," She said in a playful voice.

He looked at her uneasily. "Well I hope you're a patient woman Ms. Trepe. Because I haven't danced since I was eleven."

"Eleven? Did you have lessons or something?" She asked.

"Umm..."

"Don't you lie to me," She grinned as they entered the building.

"I was little and I don't think I remember too much."

"In that case...I guess we'll just have to find out then won't we," She said as they stepped underneath the domed ceiling. She fell silent as she looked around in awe. "Wow," She whispered.

"I think maybe I should've worn a tux," Nida said as his eyes traced the twin staircases that curved up and over a central doorway.

"You're fine," She assured him as they walked under the staircase and into the ballroom.

"Your passes please," The man at the door asked with an outstretched hand. Quistis pulled hers from her purse and handed it to Nida, who handed both of their passes to the man. "Have a nice evening," Nida nodded in acknowledgment and slowly led Quistis into the room. Crowds on both sided of them conversed in a seemingly aristocratic manner. The women, clad in ballgowns, sipped on their wine as they held loosely onto the arms of their men. The entire Hall had almost a royal atmosphere neither of the two of them had ever beheld. They continued walking until they found a few familiar faces sitting down by the back wall.

"Being in this place is like taking a trip back in time," Quistis said as she cast a glance at a table of occupied by a trio of eloquently dressed teenage girls.

"It does seem that way," Nida concurred as he stopped net to a table. "This place was built for the amusement of the Dolletian Aristocracy about two-hundred years ago.

"How do you know that?" She asked.

"For one, I used to live with my step-mother who absolutely adored this place, and second...I read the sign out front."

"Oh," She playfully swatted him on the shoulder. He looked at her in surprise but to his dismay, she was walking off. He looked ahead to see the familiar faces of SeeDs sitting at the tables along the far walls. Zell waved to him clumsily.

"Guys!" The crowd seemed to part as Rinoa came rushing forward. "I'm so glad you guys are all here. Come on before Squall goes and sits down." Quistis raised an eyebrow.

"What are you talking about?" Zell asked.

"I want to dance. But the piece the orchestra's playing is obviously a partner kind of song. Squall's too self conscious to go out there and it just be the two of us..."

"Rin," Squall protested as he finally caught up to her.

"Come on!" She begged the members sitting at the table. Zell looked over to Fujin who shrugged and slowly stood up. Rinoa gleefully looked over to Quistis and then Nida and then paused. "You two are here together?" She asked.

"Yeah," Quistis answered.

"Aww! You two are sooo cute together!"

Quistis and Nida both looked down towards the floor.

"Rin," Squall tugged at her arm. "You're embarrassing them."

She rolled her eyes playfully. "Come on guys, this is a ball not a fashion show. Let's dance," She said as she took Squall's hand and dragged him out onto the dance floor. Nida started to laugh but quickly stopped when Quistis took hold of his hand and led him out there as well. The group of girls at the end table stopped talking and watched. The music died down as the orchestra began playing another piece.

Nida took a deep breath to try and calm his nerves. He watched, over Quistis' shoulder as Rinoa placed one hand on Squall's shoulder and then took hold of his other hand. His nervousness sharply increased when he felt Quistis place her hand in his and then her other on his shoulder. He looked at her and swallowed. She grinned as he slowly moved his other hand down on her waist. Quistis led the first few steps, occasionally bumping into him and once, nearly tripping him. She laughed in embarrassment and then looked up at him with dazzling blue eyes. He looked back at her in wonder.

The night was perfect.... it was magnificently grand. He'd had no other experience that even compared. The whole evening was like a dream. Crystal chandeliers hanged high above marble floors. More people gathered and began dancing. The room became a menagerie of swirling color as the ladies twirled, their dresses flowing around them like opening and closing flower buds. The colors of the crystal reflected light of the chandeliers danced upon the floors, walls and ceilings. Nida absorbed as much of the atmosphere as he could. There he danced, in a place he could only hope to fantasize about as a boy, with a woman he never imagined he could touch.

She bumped her knee into his leg. He looked down to see if she was alright. "Hang on," she said as she reached down, steadying herself with her other hand on his shoulder. He watched as she unfastened both of the buckles on her heels and stepped out of them. She stumbled and came falling against his chest. "Sorry," She quickly apologized as she regained her balance and picked up her shoes.

"Its alright," He said as he watched her carry them to the edge of the dance floor and then toss them underneath a table occupied by treppies. They watched her in a trance. Nida watched her questioningly.

"They were hurting my feet so much," She laughed as she quickly rejoined him. "So," She said as she delicately placed her hand back on his shoulder in an almost flirtatious manner. "Where were we?" He stared at her for a minute and then grinned as he placed his hand on her hip. She smiled back.

-----

They danced almost every dance that night and only stopped when both of them were nearly exhausted. They walked back down the empty corridors of Balamb Garden silently. Quistis leaned against his shoulder as they continued on. Nida looked down at the top of her head and grinned to himself. For the rest of the night, what little was left of it, there'd be no ill thoughts nor troubling dwellings. There was no time for it. He could still hardly believe everything that had happened that night. Her walking slowed as she dug through her purse and pulled out her card key. He stopped as she slid her card in her door's slot.

She turned to him and crossed her arms awkwardly. He looked down and to the side while he rocked himself on his heels. "Goodnight," She said.

"Goodnight," He responded. "Quistis."

"Yes?" She looked up at him expectantly.

"Thanks, for um, asking me to accompany you. I had a great night," His eyes scanned her face for any indication of what she was thinking.

"I'm glad I asked. I had a great time too," She smiled. "We should do something again sometime."

He smiled shyly.

"Goodnight," She said as she stood up on her tip toes and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

"G'night," He answered, his voice barely a whisper. After she shut the door, he took a few steps back and ran his fingers through his spiked hair. He walked slowly to his room and collapsed on his bed. Staring up at the ceiling in the darkness, he unbuttoned his shirt as he thought about the evening he'd just had.


	9. Breaking Point

DISCLAIMER- No no, no autographs please. I am not the genius behind Final Fantasy VIII! I honestly don't!

Author's notes- I am soo sorry for the delay. Not only have I been moving to another town, but then the computer didn't want to work. Its a really old computer and I'm too poor to fix it. Anyways, thanks to everyone that has taken the time to read my stuff, I promise to have my shout outs in the next chapter. And again, my apologies.

Breaking Point

The sea pummeled the barge as it approached the coastline. Although it wasn't unusual for one of the large shipping barges to come near the coast, everyone in Dollet knew what had happened. By word of mouth, news of Nigel Roe's death had spread from Fisherman's Horizon back to Dollet before his wife, Sarah Roe, had even been informed. The normally prosperous art community was taken aback by the realization that although an Estharian attack was no longer a threat, a Galbadian one was. And so Nigel's shipping barge returned early.

Awaiting the haggard crew on the sandy beach, a few dozen silent individuals, all clad in black, stood silently. None moved nor spoke. A low haze drifted down across the harbor, engulfing the people and the barge in a dense fog.

On the beach, a boy stared angrily up at the ominous cloud cover. Standing just beyond the reaches of the waves his gaze fell to the dark, indistinct outline of the ship. The air smelled of rain and held a thick moisture that felt suffocating despite the high winds that whipped at his trousers and his hair. A thin delicate hand rested on his shoulder. He tensed at the contact and looked over at it. Her fingers were so thing, almost bone-like with long nails.

"That's his ship," She spoke softly in his ear.

"I know Mama," He answered. "I miss him."

"Already? Nida dear, he's been gone for up to four months before. Its only been a few weeks."

"But this time he ain't comin' home Mama," A little girl whimpered.

"He's coming home one last time Ami darling," Sarah removed her hand from Nida's shoulder and picked up her daughter.

"I want Papa," Amira cried. Beside them, Nida stared silently as the large ship came to a halt and a smaller sea vessel was lowered into the water. His cheeks and eyes began to burn as he held back the tears. There were four men on the boat. He knew them all well. His entire face began to burn as the hot tears streaked down his face. He knew all to well what they had with them.

The sky was growing increasingly darker as the men approached. A few men waded out into the water and helped the four seamen carry a coffin to the shore. Beside him, Amira began to cry even more onto her mother's shoulder. He watched Sarah hold Ami tight as she stared solemnly at the coffin. Nida took a step back and wrapped an arm around Sarah's waist. He buried his face in the material of her dress.

A few people down the beach from him began whispering amongst themselves while occasionally looking in his family's direction. The weight of their gazes made him nervous. Turning back to Sarah he tugged at her dress.

"Mama why're they starin' at us?"

"Because they're uppity and believe that I won't be able to support my family without your father," She answered bluntly as she cast the ladies a contemptful look. Nida looked over at the ladies and then at Sarah in confusion.

"You mean our family right," He said as he stepped a little closer to her side.

"You me and Ami, all of us dear," She answered as she watched the coffin get loaded onto a truck. He looked up at his now quiet little sister and then back out at the waves. His eyes followed them until they came to rest on the rusted barge. He stared at the large vessel that was beginning to become shrouded in darkness. He focused on the bow and stern light as he sat numbly in the sand. "Nida we're leaving," Sarah said as she began walking off. He stared silently at the ship that had, for as long as he could remember, always carried off and brought back his father. "Nida," Sarah spoke. "Are you listening to me? Don't make me look like a fool in front of all these people. Nida!"

"Nida! Hello? Earth to Nida," Xu playfully waved her hand in front of his face. He jumped back, startled from his thoughts. He looked out at the ship approaching Balamb Garden and then back at Xu.

"Huh?" He asked as he watched the ship's bow light grow nearer. .

She laughed and shook her head. "I was asking if you enjoyed the ball last weekend. You dance pretty well."

"Oh," He said softly as he looked down to the floor and then out to the water. "It was eminent."

She raised an eyebrow as she leaned against the control panel. "It was what?"

He smiled faintly. "It means distinguished, glorious or grand."

"Whoa," She whistled. "Someone had an awful good night."

He redirected his attention to the ship approaching them. "What kind of ship is that anyway?" He asked, fearing he already knew the answer.

"All I know is its Estharian," She answered. "Why we couldn't just wait for them to meet us at Dollet is beyond me." Xu checked around to be sure no intercoms were on as she leaned towards Nida. "I haven't heard anything official, but I think things are finally getting ready to fall through with Fisherman's Horizon. I heard the Commander talked to his father and asked for some engineers immediately." Nida's face seemed to fall as his gaze fell down to the panel before him.

"That explains why I was called at 22:50 to pilot Garden a quarter of the way around the world," Xu wasn't sure but she thought she picked up just a touch of sarcasm in his voice.

"You okay?" She looked him over.

"I'm fine," He answered quickly as he crossed his arms across his chest and stared at the ship below them.

"No you're not," She said softly as she looked out over the dark water as well.

"I'm just tired."

"We both are," She answered as she let her hands fall to her sides. "Is this about the engineering position?"

"How many times have you been so close to having something you really wanted and then had it ripped away?"

She fell silent.

Behind them, the lift hummed as an officer came into view. "The Commander sent me to relieve you both of your duties. Get some rest, neither of you are to report back to duty until Saturday at 09:00."

"That gives us two days off," Xu looked at her fellow officer.

"I'm just the messenger," The blonde girl shrugged.

"Believe me I'm not complaining," Xu smiled. "Come on Nida, we're outta here!" She exclaimed as she hopped onto the ramp. He stared a few more moments at the ship below before following her.

* * *

The elevator had never felt so small as he stood there next to Xu. Neither of them spoke as they watched the first floor slowly approach them. As the doors slid open, Xu grabbed his arm. He stared back into her dark brown eyes.

"I know you're not taking the news of these engineers well but you just can't let it get to you," She protested.

"I'm fine," He insisted as he looked down at where her hand had a hold of his forearm.

"No you're not." He stared at her questioningly. "I worry about you," She confessed. "Sometimes you seem worse than Squall used to be. You're so withdrawn."

"Its because I choose to be," He said as he slowly pulled his arm from her grip. "Look, you're my best friend. If I feel like talking you'll know." She let go and stared at him in surprise. Without another word, he trotted down the steps and turned towards the dormitory wing.

"Get some rest," She called after him. He hurried on until she was out of view. He then allowed himself to fall against the wall beside his door. He stared up at the ceiling and closed his eyes.

'There's always something standing between me and my dreams,' He thought bitterly to himself as he slid his card key into the lock. 'That'll change someday. I've suffered seventeen years, I can withstand a few more.' As the door hissed open, he quickly stepped inside and locked it. He took a deep breath as he looked around at the bare walls of his room. There was nothing, except his works that he kept carefully stashed under his bed and in his dresser. The room around him, although cold was beginning to feel unbearably hot. Tearing off his jacket, he let it fall carelessly to the floor below. He pulled off his belt as he stumbled into the bathroom and turned on the water in the sink. His heart was racing as his face began to burn. Despite his attempts to cool his cheeks, they still burned. Allowing himself to fall back against the bathroom wall, he pulled his legs up to his chest and began crying. He wiped at his watery eyes with his palms and then paused at the marks on his wrists. Without a second thought, he methodically walked into the main room and pulled a small blade from in-between his mattress and box spring.

His whole body shook as he walked back into the bathroom and then slowly brought the blade's edge down along his left arm. He choked out a sob as he put a little force behind the blade, breaking the skin. It stung, causing him to drop the weapon in the bathroom sink. Once again, he fell back against the wall and just stared at the blood that slowly ran down his arm. He leaned forward and slowly rocked his body as he waited for the pain to subside.

"I hate this," He said through grintted teeth. "I hate this all..." A swift knock startled him from his preoccupation. He stared at the door and then clumsily stood and rinsed off his arm. Quickly grabbing the nearest gauze and wrap he could find, he sloppily covered his handiwork and wiped the blood off the bathroom floor. They knocked again as he tossed the knife into the shower and slid the door shut. Pulling off his stained shirt, he stuffed it in his hamper and grabbed the first long sleeved shirt he could find in his closet.

"Nida?" A woman's voice called from the otherside of the door. "I know its insanely late, but I saw you go in a few minutes ago."

He froze at the sound of the voice. Quistis? "H-H-Hang on a sec!" He shouted. Taking a deep breath to try and calm his nerves, he shakily stepped up to the door and hit the release button. The door hissed abruptly open, causing Quistis to jump in surprise. "S-Sorry," He apologized. "I-I w-was gettin' ready to get in the shower when you umm, knocked, " He explained.

"Oh that's okay. I didn't realize you were doing something sorry," Quistis' eyes lingered on his face and then grew concerned.

"Did you want something?" He asked.

She was snapped from her musings. "Actually, I was wandering if you wanted to watch a movie. I know its late, but I couldn't sleep and I saw you walk by so I knew you were up." He watched, fascinated at her slight fidgeting. Was Quistis Trepe fidgeting because of him? He grinned faintly at the sight. "Can I take that as a yes?" She asked as she looked inside his room.

"Huh? Oh yeah," He answered as he clumsily scratched the back of his head out of nervousness. "B-But I don't have anything to watch a movie on."

"That's alright, I have in my quarters," She offered.

"Okay," He agreed before his mind had even registered all the possible implications of her suggestion.

"Okay then," She looked around the hallways and then motioned for him to follow her. Grabbing his card key he quickly followed her into the empty corridor.


	10. Morning Sun

DISCLAIMER- What did I want for Christmas? How about Squaresoft's rights to Final Fantasy VIII... Yeah, that didn't happen...:(

Author's Notes- Here's the next chapter. I promise to start updating more often now. I already have the next chapter written. All I have to do is type it up. I hope you enjoy.

Cresent Pearl- this chapter is for you. Thanks for being such a loyal and helpful reviewer. :)

Morning Sun

He walked just half a step behind her the entire way back to her dorm room. A combination of nervousness, due to his company, and an uneasiness, due to it being well after curfew, made for a very odd and almost gut wrenching sensation. He could honestly say that in all his years of being at Balamb Garden, he'd only been out of his dorm past curfew on four occasions; and all of them were by direct order. Just walking down the hallway with her felt so exhilarating. Sure he was technically a SeeD so he could wander the halls late at night when the students couldn't, but he still felt as if he were doing something he wasn't supposed to be. The feeling it gave him was reviving. It brought back memories of his lap in the center fountain. A grin crossed his face as he remembered the fun he'd had doing that.

In front of him, Quistis stopped walking and unlocked her door. While he waited uneasily he glanced around to be sure no one else saw them. He couldn't help but have this fear that a long-since banished Garden Faculty Member would just pop up around a corner and throw a fit about how bad it looked for two decorated SeeDs to be caught sneaking out after hours. Even worse than the faculty, he feared that a treppie might see him. The last thing he wanted was to deal with that cult following.

The door slid open and Quistis led the way in. Turning on a lamp on her desk, she walked across her small room and sat down on the foot of her bed. Nida followed her slowly, taking in every detail about her room. The walls, although bare for the most part, did hold one picture, a wintry landscape of some sort. He studied the print for a moment as she turned on the television and dug through her dresser for her movies. In the midst of her preoccupation, he shifted his gaze down to her desk, thoroughly swamped with papers and folders. On the far back corner, her glasses sat propped against what looked like a Shiva paperweight.

'Must be her favorite,' He thought silently as he walked towards it and carefully picked it up.

"Xu got her for me after I made SeeD," Quistis spoke. "She was the GF I was assigned on my test."

"It looks pretty cool," He stated as he examined it.

"Yeah, it'd be cooler if it were crystal," She joked. "You know, that way it'd look more like ice."

"Yeah," He agreed as he returned the paperweight to its original place. "I've only used two GF's thus far. My first was Quezacotl, that was a nightmare," He laughed nervously.

"How come?" She asked.

"Let's just say we weren't exactly compatible," He answered. "I seem to be favored by Leviathan more."

"Ah, the water element," She stated.

"Yeah," He answered. "It was like Quezacotl could sense how uneasy I was using a thunder GF and because of it we didn't work well together. He shrugged.

"And Leviathan?"

"He's my favorite."

Quistis nodded. "I like Shiva. But Squall does too so I seldom get to use her much." Nida faintly smiled. "Why don't you come sit down," She said as she scooted back so that her back was against the headboard.

"O-Okay," He answered unsurely as he sat carefully down and then looked away.

"These are all the movies I have," She frowned as she held a pair of tapes in her hands. "All we have to choose from is 'The Magic of Junctioning' and 'The Littlest Chicobo'." Beside her, Nida snickered a little. "Blame Zell for this selection. He asked to borrow a few movies and apparently took all of them," She laughed.

He grinned as he watched her lean forward and put a tape in the player. Being the red-blooded male that he was, he had to steal a glance at her rear. He hadn't meant to. The opportunity just presented itself and he found himself reacting before he could stop it. A guilty grin crossed his lips as he looked down to his lap and picked at the unraveled bottom of his shirt. She had a cute bottom.

"Okay," She said as she sat back up and returned to her place beside him. "If this movie is bad you have my permission to go beat up Zell."

"We're not watching the junctioning movie are we?" His voice carried with it a worried tone.

"Oh heaven's no," Quistis laughed. "I don't even watch that when I show it for my classes," She laughed as the movie began playing.

The following morning...

Quistis groaned as she awoke. Her eyes slowly adjusted to the early morning light as she pulled her quilt up higher on her chest. The first thing she noticed was the blue picture on her television across the room. She stared at it for a moment as the previous night's events slowly came back to her. Realizing that not only did she not remember finishing the movie, but she must have had fallen asleep before Nida left.

"I have got to be the worst hostess ever," She whispered to herself. Carefully pushing herself up on her elbows, her left hand brushed across something unexpected. All the blood drained from her face as she slowly looked down beside her. Still sleeping soundly, Nida lay motionless and unaware of her surprise. All she could do was stare at him. A slightly embarrassed grin spread across her face. Retrieving the remote from the foot of the bed, she turned the television off and returned her attention to her guest.

Oblivious to her presence he continued to sleep. Brushing a strand of loose hair behind her ear, she admired his dark features. His face looked so much more relaxed than when he was awake. She grinned to herself as she studied his dark lashes and then the slight upward curve of his nose. Her eyes unintentionally panned lower, to his slightly parted lips and then to his chin which led to his defined jaw line. Shaking her head to bring herself out of the trance he had unconsciously pulled her into, she furrowed her brow as she fingered the material of his shirt. It'd been the first time she'd actually had a chance to look at it. She'd thought it looked a little worn and ragged the night before when she went to his door but in a closer inspection it was obvious the shirt was down right ratty. She looked off towards the wall as she mentally tried to figure out why he wore something in such bad shape. He had a very neat and clean appearance and the shirt just didn't match.

'Maybe its just his favorite,' She gathered when she could come up with no other reasons. He shifted his body, snapping her out of her contemplations. She looked down at him quickly and was surprised to see him still sleeping. A slight bit of beige stood out from underneath his green sleeve. Curious, she carefully pulled back his sleeve and then shook her head in an amused astonishment at his wrapped wrist. 'He's worse than Zell,' She grinned. Her grin faded as she noticed his right wrist. She sent a cautious glance up to his face to be sure he was still asleep as she slowly pulled back his other sleeve. Her heart caught in her throat as she stared at the numerous pink scars that seemed to lace the inside of his forearm. She looked up at his peaceful face and then around the room nervously. Moving back to his other wrist, she delicately peeled back the wrap to recover a crimson colored piece of gauze. Unsure of what to do, she lay back down beside him and pulled the quilt back up over them both. She laid her head on his chest as her eyes began to tear up.

* * *

Irvine watched with amusement as his two year-old son carefully picked the marshmallows from his cereal and placed them on his spoon. Behind him, Selphie cracked another egg into her frying pan and picked up a flipper.

"Its awful quiet back there," She said as she watched the eggs before her. "Toby are you playing with your food again?" Irvine just watched as his son carefully lifted his marshmallow-laden spoon up to his mouth and then unintentionally knocked most of the spoon's contents off.

"Nah, he's eatin' it...sorta," Irvine chuckled at Toby's bewildered expression. Selphie turned and checked on the situation.

"He's practically wearing it," She said.

"Darlin' its just milk. It'll wash out," Irvine said as he pushed himself away from the bar and walked towards his wife. She grinned and then turned back to her eggs. "Someone's lookin' beautiful this mornin'," He whispered as he rested his chin on her shoulder and wrapped his arms around the bulge in her stomach.

"Someone's feeling guilty about something," She teased. He feigned hurt as he took an exaggerated step back. Letting the flipper fall to the stove top, she turned to face him. "Hey Cowboy," She grinned.

"Hey lil' lady," He grinned in response.

Selphie raised an eyebrow. "Little lady? I know you're not talking to me because I'm as big as a cow."

"Honey don't talk like that. Ya look beautiful."

"Thanks," She smiled as she gave him a quick kiss on the nose. "Now do me a favor and take out the trash."

Irvine stared at her for a moment. "That's so mean," He pouted as he walked across the room and did as he was told. "I'm tryin' to be all lovey dovey and all you can think about is chores."

Selphie shook her head. "Have you seen the size of my stomach lately? Have you seen what being lovey dovey has done to me?" She joked.

He chuckled and then removed the lid and quickly pulled up on the bag's edges. The bottom of the bag, obviously over packed, ripped open, spilling its contents onto the floor.

"Uh oh," Toby announced the mishap from his seat at the bar. Selphie stole a quick glance to see what had happened.

"Need some help cleaning that up?" She asked. Behind her, Irvine remained silent as he knelt over the mess. "Irvy?"

"Um Hun," He started. "Have ya cut yourself on somethin' in the past few days and not told me?"

Flipping over her eggs, Selphie paused at his question. "No. Why?" She asked as she turned around.

"'Cause this here is blood," He stated as he carefully lifted the contaminated gauze and wrap up in the air. Selphie's eyes widened in surprise.

"Oh my gosh..." She paled. "What's Nida been doing?"

* * *

The late morning sun shown through the partially closed blind. Blinking to adjust his eyes, Nida looked around in confusion. The ceiling he was staring at was not his own. It was only one shade of beige. A faint, sweet smell drifted lightly on the air. He knew that smell, that was the fragrance Quistis wore. Then the realization of where he was hit him.

He tilted his head forward to see the top of Quistis' head laying on his chest. Her long blonde hair seemed to fan out and drape across her shoulders and his. She was sleeping with her body curled up against his. He took a deep breath and slowly moved his right hand to carefully brush some of the hair from her face.

There was no doubt she'd be more than a little surprised to find him there when she awoke, but when she'd fallen asleep the night before on his shoulder he couldn't seem to make himself leave her. So he'd stayed and eventually fallen asleep himself. She moved a little and then slowly sat up. He watched her with interest and smiled shly when she looked in his direction. She just stared at him for a moment, something was on her mind, he could see it in her eyes. Just as he started to ask what was wrong, she smiled in return.

"Morning," She yawned.

"Morning," He said as he too sat up and stretched his arms out in front of him. She watched him for a moment and then stood up and began gathering clothes from her closet.

"Its already ten-thirty," She said as she dropped the clean clothes on her dresser and took her watch off.

"Seriously?" Nida asked as he checked his watch. "You haven't missed any classes have you?"

Quistis smiled at his concerned expression. "Believe me, if I'd missed a class that phone beside you would be ringing off the hook." He grinned. "But I'm afraid I have an eleven o'clock class."

"So I need to go," He concluded as he stood and took a few steps towards the door. "I uh...Quistis I...I'm not going to make you late am I?"

She shook her head, causing a few strands of her hair to fall down and frame her face. He smiled at the sight. "What?"

"Y-You should wear your hair down more often," He answered. At his response she turned and looked in the mirror. A grimace crossed her face as she scrunched up her nose. "Oh come on, its prettiest when its down," He said as he walked over to her and brushed her hair with his fingers. She stared at the long strands that hanged beside her face skeptically. "Just try it for one day."

"Alright," She gave in. "But you have to go now," She insisted. "I have a shower to take."

"Okay," He nodded and then quickly leaned in to her and kissed her lightly on the lips. As he started to pull away, her hand came to rest on the back of his neck and she kissed him back. Once she'd broken off the kiss he just stared at her. "Uh, I'll um..." His loss of words now seemed more out of speechlessness than nervousness. "I'll uh be going. I-I mean you have to get ready for your class and all."

She nodded in agreement and pressed the release button on her door. "We should do something again."

"Yeah we should," He agreed. "Bye."

She smiled and waved as he left. Once he was out of sight she shut the door and then leaned against the wall. She ran her fingers through her hair and just stared at the mirror across the room from her. Looking up through her eyelashes she could see a few locks of blonde hair falling down into her face and the insides of her wrists. She let her hands fall to her sides and then traced the veins in her right wrist with her left index finger. She brought her gaze up as she tried to sort through the dozens of thoughts racing through her head. A little red light caught her attention. She focused on it and then frowned. The clock on the night stand reminded her that her time to ponder was limited and so she walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower.


	11. Protocol

DISCLAIMER-I should really write these before I get mentally taxed by writing the chapter. I'm pretty sure you guys know that I don't own Final Fantasy VIII and am not making any money off of this story.

Author's notes- It took me two days to type this thing. Two days 'cause I accidentally deleted it on the first day and my fingers were too tired to try and retype it again without rest. I hope you guys like it.

JadeAlmasy- Geez! No sooner than I'd updated and jumped in the tub and then got back to my computer, you'd already reviewed. I want you to know that you made my day. :)

Rune - Thank you. And don't worry about my Zell/Fujin story. I promise 'Unsilenced' will be put back up. I just really messed up something that's going to take a lot of correcting. But never fear! For it will be back up!

Crescent Pearl- Your reviews mean a lot to me because you make suggestions and comments that do help out a lot. And its funny, when I put the 'lovey-dovey' part in Selphie's scene I knew someone would say something about it. When I put the part about Nida checkin Quistis out I just knew you would say something about it. lol And I'm still waiting for your update. Just so you know. lol

**Protocol**

Sarah silently chewed on her bottom lip as she read the morning paper. The house was quiet; an unacceptable state for a school morning. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the kitchen wall clock.

"Amira!" She shouted from her seat at the table. "You've got twenty minutes to get to your classes!" She received no answer. The second hand began to tick louder as she waited. Finally giving in, she dropped her paper on the table and started up the stairs to the second story. "Amira you better not still be asleep," She warned as she made her way up. Just as she reached the last step, her daughter's bedroom door opened, and Amira made her first appearance of the morning.

Sarah's shoulders slumped in exasperation as she watched Amira kneel and retrieve a leather portfolio. She cleared her throat Amira still continued on in her morning routine, oblivious to her mother's presence. She gave a quick glance to her watch and then hurriedly zipped up her backpack. Sloppily pulling her dark hair back into a hairclip, she shouldered her pack and picked up her portfolio. She turned and then abruptly stopped when she noticed her mother standing at the top of the staircase.

"What are you doing home?" She asked in surprise. "Coffee shop close down or something?"

"Why didn't you come when I called you?"

Amira gave her mother a puzzled expression and then pulled her earphones out. "What did you say?" She glanced at her watch again. "Try and keep it quick, school starts in fifteen minutes."

"That's what we need to talk about," Sarah said.

"Can't it wait? I'm going to be late."

"We could always talk on the way there," Sarah offered bitterly. I haven't walked you to school since you were ten."

Amira looked around uncomfortably.

"So when were you going to tell me you switched schools?"

"I dunno," Amira shrugged past her mother. "I guess when I graduated."

Sarah quickly took hold of her arm. "I put you in Dukedom Academy because it was a highly respected institution. Imagine my surprise when the Dean calls me, wanting to know what about his institution was so dissatisfactory that I had to withdraw my daughter." Sarah stared coldly at her. "Do you realize how embarrassed I was to not know what he was talking about? ...Answer me!"

Amira looked away and over to the clock on the kitchen wall.

Sarah swiftly slapped her on the cheek, startling her out of her defiance. "You will answer me when I ask you a question! Now what school are you going to anyways?"

"Dolletian Art Institute. They have a program for high school students."

Sarah seemed taken aback by her answer. "Where did you get the gil for a school like that?"

"Same place you got it for Dukedom," Amira pulled her arm free and hurried down the rest of the stairs. "Nida." Sarah was left watching her daughter hurry out the front door.

"Wait a minute!" She called after her. "Where did you get my signature to drop your classes at Dukedom?" She asked as she hurried to the front door and stood in the open doorway. "Forging is illegal."

Already out on the sidewalk, Amira stopped and turned. "For starters, I went to Nida and told him how much I hated Dukedom. But in all honesty, he's just an artist with a brush and charcoal. I'm the artist with the pen. Sue me." She once again started walking to school.

"You don't have my permission to attend that school," Sarah crossed her arms tightly against her chest. "Come Monday you'll be back at Dukedom," She warned.

Amira groaned. "Nida's paying for it, why not let him choose? I hate that place, everyone's so stuck up. If you try and make me, I won't go."

"Nida is obviously a bad influence on you. You never used to act like this. But that doesn't matter, I'm your mother and you'll go where I tell you to."

"You stop mooching off your boyfriends, get a real job and pay for the school yourself and then I'll go!" Amira shouted back.

"What have I done to make you hate me so much?" Sarah asked as she watched Amira.

"What have you done?" Amira laughed. "You're actually owning up to something? Well for starters you're tearing what's left of our family apart. You sent the last piece of Dad away from me and then you were never there! You're too absorbed in your mach aristocratic wanna be lifestyle. I hate Dukedom because everyone there acts like you! I hate you!" She shouted and then glanced at her watch. "And you've made me late for school. Thanks for nothing Sarah." She quickly turned and started back down the street, wiping away the tears she never let her mother see.

Sarah watched her until she was out of sight and then pulled the front door shut. She leaned against the wall and looked at the house around her. On an end table she caught sight of the phone and just stared at it. "You don't want to be here," She spoke under her breath. "Then you won't be."

-----

The brightly lit hallways did little to console Quistis' troubled mind as she hurried down the main hall on her way to class.

"Wait up!" A familiar voice called from behind her.

"I can't I'm late," She replied as she hurried up the steps and pressed the elevator's button.

"Whoa...Is something going on? You're never late."

"Zell, I overslept," She frowned as she pushed the button again.

"Sure ya did," Zell coughed.

"Do you need something to do?" She spun around to face him.

"What!?" Zell jumped back in an exaggerated act of surprise. "No! No way! You'll put me to work! Besides, my schedule's booked."

Quistis looked unconvinced. "They're not serving hot-dogs and Fujin is on a mission. Your schedule is wide open." Zell slumped his shoulders and kicked at the ground. "It'll be fun. I promise." Zell looked at her skeptically.

"What is it?" He mumbled in a defeated tone.

"Do you know who Nida Roe is?" She asked as she turned and pressed on the button a few more times for good measure.

Zell paused. "Garden's pilot?"

"That's him," She sighed as she pressed the button again. "Go catch him at his dorm. Rumor has it that he's quite the exalted martial artist."

"Martial artist?" Zell asked.

"Squall's had him on the bridge a lot here lately and he finally got some time off. He hasn't had much time to train, but two martial artists against one another sounds kinda fun."

"Dude! That would be cool!" Zell shouted as the elevator finally came down and its doors slid open. Quistis rolled her eyes as she stepped inside.

"Better go catch him before he decides to go do something else with his day off," She frowned at the thought.

"See ya later!" Zell exclaimed as he bounded down the steps. "Oh hey!" He quickly spun back around to face her. "How do I find his room?" Quistis just shook her head as the doors slid shut. Zell watched the elevator rise for a second before taking a step back and bumping the directory. "Oh yeah," He said as he scratched the back of his head with one hand and started the directory program with the other.

From the rising elevator, Quistis watched as Zell ran off towards the dormitory wing. 'Hope Nida'll go for it,' She thought to herself. The doors slid open and she quickly stepped out onto the catwalk. With every step, the voices inside her classroom grew louder. She shook her head as she approached the open doorway. "The joys of teaching first year students," She said under her breath at the disorderly assembly in her classroom. Save for two silent boys in the corner, everyone else was out of their seats, conversing with one another.

Deciding to prove she was worthy of her reinstated teaching license, she took a deep breath and control of her class. "Two of the first things all SeeDs must learn is protocol and respect!" She shouted over their voices. The room became deafly quiet in an instant. "Protocol allows every member of SeeD to know what their duties are. Respect is what makes SeeD members follow and abide by all protocols. As my students you're expected to be in your designated seats and silent before class starts. If you have that respect for me I can assure you the respect will be mutual." She stopped talking and sat her books down on the corner of her desk and walked over to the chalk board. "Surely you can handle simple classroom protocol. If not, how on earth can you honestly be expected to handle a life or death assignment out on the field?"

------

Zell double checked the number on the panel and then looked inside the open doorway. He gave a quick and impatient knock on the door frame and then stepped hesitantly inside.

"Anyone in here?" He asked.

"Over here," Nida answered from behind one of his canvas'. Zell watched as the taller SeeD sat down his brush and approached him. Although his baggy clothes seemed to hide his muscle structure, his height and almost lanky posture gave Zell an indication that he may be more of a speed fighter than a power hitter. Then Zell noticed his haphazardly spiked hair.

"Cool hair," Zell commented.

"Uh...thanks," Nida answered unsurely. "Do you need something?"

"Oh yeah!" Zell laughed as if he'd just remembered. "Quisty told me you were into martial arts."

"She told you true," Nida answered as he began cleaning his brush.

"So you want to go train?"

"Right now?" Nida asked.

"Sure. Why not?" Zell hopped back and forth from one foot to the other.

"Why not," Nida grinned as he tossed his brush down onto a drop cloth on the floor. "Let me get my gear."

After Nida had grabbed something to change into, Zell couldn't help but to see what artwork was in the making on the easel across the room from him. He had already bought a Quezacotl Nida had painted in oil. Now he got to see what else Nida liked to paint. He carefully stepped over a few paint cans and then stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the beginnings of a lady sitting on the edge of a fountain. The bathroom door slid open and Nida stepped slowly out, tightening his gloves as he walked.

"Did you want to use one of the padded training rooms or just the training center?" Nida asked and then paused when he realized where Zell was. "Don't tell Quistis."

Zell looked up at him quickly. "Oh...okay..." He looked back down at the painting and then back at Nida. "So she doesn't know about this?"

"No."

"It looks good."

"Thank you," Nida shifted his weight and crossed his arms.

"So are you ready to go train?"

"I'm waiting on you."

"Well let's get going then," Zell said as he hopped over the paint cans and led the way out of the dorm room.

------

Later that evening....

Quistis stepped up to the open doorway and peered inside. Aside from the massive staff leaned up against the wall, the room was very clean.

"Come on in. I won't bite ya know," Raijin called out from his seat in a bean bag chair in front of the television set. Quistis looked around, unsure of how he knew she was there. Slowly she entered the room, still in awe of how clean he kept it. "This can be a three player game ya know." Quistis looked past him and finally saw Xu sitting on his other side.

"No thanks," She declined. "I'm not very good at video games."

"Neither am I but Xu makes me look good," Raijin chuckled. Xu swiftly elbowed him. "Oww!"

"What's wrong?" Xu asked as she sat her controller down and picked up an extra bean bag chair from a pile in the corner. "Here," She tossed it over Raijin's head to Quistis. "Sit down awhile." Raijin paused the game and then turned to face her. Quistis stared at the bright red object in her hands and then let it fall to the floor. She watched how it spread out once it made contact with the floor.

"You want anything to eat or drink? I just went to the market a few days ago so the fridge is full ya know," Raijin tried to offer her something else. She just politely shook her head and then fell clumsily to her knees atop of her bean bag.

"Ok, you either tell me what's wrong or I'll go alert your little treppies that their goddess isn't happy and then they can harass you," Xu threatened.

Quistis' jaw dropped. "You wouldn't."

"Try me," Xu said as she brushed her dark bangs out of her eyes. "So talk."

"Fine," Quistis submitted. "Last night I invited Nida over to watch a movie." Raijin and Xu both scooted a little closer causing her to pause.

"He didn't try anything did he?" Raijin studied her facial expressions as he waited for an answer. "If he did I'll pound him to a pulp ya know."

"Quistis?" Xu asked.

"He didn't try anything," She assured them. A pair of footsteps passed by the doorway, causing her to remain quiet. Once they were gone she continued. "But we both fell asleep before the movie ended."

Xu looked over at Raijin and then back at Quistis. "That's it?" Quistis faintly shook her head.

"I woke up first and..." She paused as she searched for the right words. "And his sleeve was bunched up so I could see his wrist," Her voice became softer.

"What's wrong with his wrist?" Xu asked almost knowingly.

"There were all these scars and marks," Quistis answered. Xu and Raijin remained silent. "They went up his arm some too. I don't know, it just bothers me. Granted he's more than a little shy and is kinda withdrawn, but he's such a friendly person. Why would he be doing that? And am I suppose to tell him I know or just pretend I didn't see it or what?" Raijin looked over to Xu who seemed to be dumbfounded. "His other wrist was still wrapped up."

"Fresh cut," Xu said.

"How did you know?" Quistis asked.

"He was upset that some more engineers were coming onboard. He looked kinda haggard."

"So job stress made him do that? Seems like there has to be more ya know," Raijin finally spoke. "I mean what would make someone cut themself. I've never done it, but the whole idea seems kinda dangerous ya know?"

"Stress, anger, depression, anything that would severely upset someone," Xu said as she let her head fall into her hands. Outside in the hallway, the sound of footsteps kept the room from growing totally silent.

"I understand that much, but I just can't figure out what would push someone to that point ya know? What would make you do that to yourself?" He asked.

"Instructor, I'm shocked," A forth member joined their group and interrupted the conversation by grabbing Quistis' hand and checking her wrist.

"Let go," Quistis said as she tried to pull her wrist from Seifer's grasp. "We're not even talking about me."

"No," He agreed in a serious tone. "We're talking about your new boyfriend."

"How did you?"

Seifer raised an eyebrow. "I saw him on the elevator one morning. He was pretty pale and one of his wrists were wrapped in a discolored bandage. It stuck out from under the sleeve of his uniform."

Quistis shook her head. "Well I'm glad I'm not the first one to find out about this but the first to worry about it."

"What was I supposed to do? Subdue him in the elevator and threaten him within an inch of his life to not cut himself again?" Seifer snorted.

"Know what, we're not even going to argue about this," She crossed her arms. "How did you know he was my boyfriend."

"It wasn't that hard to figure out," He laughed as Raijin tossed him a soda.

"Seifer..."

"Fine, I'll talk," He said as he opened the can. "See your little following is growing pretty frantic because they know you're involved with someone but they don't know who. A few of them seen him at the Garden Fest, but let's face it. He's got one of those faces that enable him to just fade into the background and into the recesses of one's memory." Quistis looked confused. Seifer rolled his eyes. "They've seen him but they don't know who he is. Half of 'em are still trying to decide whether or not to break you two up while the other half are going on about how great he must be to have won your affections." Quistis looked disturbed.

The room became quiet as Seifer finally found a seat on Raijin's bed.

"So we've established that he cuts himself. But what am I supposed to do about it?" She asked.

"Don't do anything. He's already doing fine on his own," Seifer took another drink and then braced himself for the slap that Quistis delivered to his stomach. "Is that it?" He laughed.

"Don't make me get up and knock you out," She warned. He just snickered. "I'm serious. This bothers me."

"Go talk to Squall," Seifer suggested. His comment earned him three thoroughly confused looks.

"What can Squall of all people do?" Xu asked.

"He can give Nida his promotion early. Or at least inform him that he's going to be run through an engineering program next month." Quistis and Xu stared at him in shock. Raijin just observed. "I overheard Cid and Squall talking about him."

"Overheard?" Xu asked.

"I was visiting Matron," He defended.

"Matron..." Quistis narrowed her eyes. "You remember?"

"Who's matron?" Xu asked.

"Anyway, we're straying from my point," Seifer regained control of the conversation. "Obviously, Squall's withholding of Nida's promotion is adding onto your boy's emotional problems."

"I can't just go knocking on Squall's door at..." She checked her watch. "At ten-forty-five at night and tell him to tell Nida about a promotion I'm not even supposed to know about."

"Why not?"

"Protocol."

"Protocol?" Seifer asked.

"Nevermind. Not like you understand that."

"Hey I'll have you know I'm a SeeD just like the rest of you now," He spat back.

"Children children!" Xu held her hand up to Seifer's face. He narrowed his eyes and started to say something but Raijin shook his head. "Thank you. We can't just go order Squall around Seifer."

"Why not its fun," He admitted. "He gets so irritated but tries to deny it."

"Seifer," Quistis pleaded.

"Fine fine," He said as he stood up and tossed his can in the trash can. "I got a plan."

"We are not going to Squall's apartment," Quistis insisted.

"Yes we are. Not only that, but I'm going to play my emotional card."

Xu raised an eyebrow. "On Squall?"

"Psh," Seifer laughed. "On Rinny." Quistis looked at him quizzically. "Hey we go back. And," He held up a finger. "We separated on good terms. If I go to her worried about my friend 's very life, there's no way she could say no to me."

"You do realize we have to convince Squall right?" Xu asked.

"What better way to sway Squall than to persuade his softer half," Quistis smiled.

"Finally! I got you on my side!" Seifer rejoiced.

"But I still don't know about going over there this late," She said.

"That's not a problem. So its going on eleven. He may be married but he's not old. I'm telling you he's still awake."

"He better be," Quistis threatened. "Because if he's not we're all going to get it."

"So you're agreeing to my plan."

"Not whole-heartedly but yeah I guess so."

"What kind of attitude is that? We all have to seem distraught when we go over there. Afraid for out dear friend's life!" Seifer held a fist in the air. "That being the extent of my motivational speech, let's go wake up, I mean confront the Commander!" Seifer said as he started out into the hallways.

"Raijin, he's going to get us all into trouble. Don't you ever give him sugar again," Quistis threatened as she stood up.


	12. Midnight Visit

Disclaimer- I need everyone's attention please. I don't care if you're just scanning through this chapter with no intentions of reviewing. You have to read this. I, Twin-lance, hereby denounce all rumors that have been circulating around that claim that I own the rights to Final Fantasy VIII.

Author's notes- If any of you that are reading this have me on your author alert list, can you tell me if you're getting alerted when I update? I only ask because I haven't been recieving any lately and I usually get a few a week. I'm just wanting to see if all the authors I'm watching are slacking off or if I'm just experiencing some other kind of problem.

JadeAlmasy- Again another one review chapter....hmm. Kinda depressing. Oh well. Guess all of my fics can't be like Darkened Ice. (shrugs) Guess this chapter is for you. Sorry it couldn't be quicker.

Midnight Visit

"No way!" Zell's voice rang out for everyone in the hallway to hear. "There is no way you beat me!"

"I so whooped you man," Nida laughed as Zell playfully swung at him.

"Psh. Whatever," Zell argued.

"Dude! You never stood a chance!"

"I went easy on ya." Nida just rolled his eyes. "C'mon let's get somethin' to eat."

"You buying?" Nida asked as he followed Zell into the cafeteria.

"In your dreams," Zell joked as he stepped up to the counter and paused. Nida and the lunch lady behind the counter stared at him quizzically. "I've never been able to just walk up to this counter before. There's always a line," He looked up at the lunch lady suspiciously. "You're not serving mystery meat today are you?"

"The menu called for meat loaf," Nida said.

"There was a mishap in the kitchen this morning," The lunch lady spoke. "We had to serve tomorrow's menu."

"Tomorrow?" Zell's eyes lit up. "Hot-dogs?" The lunch lady nodded. "You've still got hot-dogs?"

"Can I assume you'd like to buy some?" The lady asked.

"Heck yeah!" Zell exclaimed. "I'll have eight."

"Eight?" Nida asked. "Share the wealth man."

"Don't worry, for once we have plenty," The lunch lady assured them.

"Oh...In that case, give me nine."

"Whoa! Wait a minute!" Zell eyed Nida suspiciously. "Are you trying to outdo me?"

"Maybe," Nida grinned.

"Gimme ten then," Zell declared as he slammed his palm down on the counter. Unfazed by his demand, the lunch lady put two more hot-dogs on his tray.

"I'll have the same," Nida changed his order and then took his tray over to the drink cart.

"You may have beat me this one time in training, but you are not out eating me," Zell forewarned him.

"I don't expect to," Nida confessed as he picked up two bottles of juice.

"Good thing," Zell started walking over to the table next to a group of seated treppies. Nida eyed the occupants of the neighboring table as he sat down. "I can eat eight for sure. You in?"

"Yeah...I think I can eat that many," Nida picked up the top hot-dog from his pile and began eating.

"Well I know I can," Zell licked his lips hungrily and then practically dove into his plate of hot-dogs. Nida grimaced at Zell's eating habits. Zell looked up at him and swallowed his mouthful with only a little difficulty. "So, how are things going?"

"What do you mean?" Nida asked as he picked up his juice bottle.

"Oh come on! There's no way a guy that's dating Quistis Trepe wouldn't have something to say about it," Zell answered. The conversation at the treppie table next to them ceased. Nida glanced over at the table's occupants and then back at his plate.

"She's an amazing person," Nida spoke. "Everytime I'm with her, it's like all my problems go away and then there's just her. She's my angel."

"Wow," Zell said as he picked up another hot-dog. "Sounds like things are going pretty good."

"Yeah," Nida answered as he watched Zell stuff his face. "I hope she thinks the same way."

"That's cool," Zell coughed and then took a drink of his soda. "So are you two doing anything anytime soon?"

"No," Nida answered as he played with the loose material of his fighting gloves.

"Why not? Me and Fuu are always doin' stuff," Zell looked down at his remaining hot-dog and then at Nida's remaining six.

"I don't know," Nida shrugged.

"You should call her and set somethin' up," A treppie in the background choked on his water.

"Where could we go? We're on a floating garden in the middle of the ocean," Nida said as he bit into another hot-dog.

"I don't know. You're the creative one. We're supposed to be at Fisherman's Horizon in a few hours," Zell paused at his comment. "Is there any place to go there?"

Nida quit eating and remained silent.

"What'd I say?" Zell asked.

"Nothing. I was just thinking."

"Oh," Zell quickly finished his last hot-dog and then glanced at Nida's plate.

"I'm still eating," Nida assured him. Zell drummed his fingertips on the table top. He lifted up his left hand and absently picked at a torn shred of leather from his glove. His gaze shifted down to Nida's gloved hands.

"So do they rub or what?"

Nida raised an eyebrow as he took another bite.

"Do your glove straps rub the skin on your wrists raw?"

"Huh?" Nida looked down at his wrists.

"I just saw your wraps underneath the straps," Zell's face looked curious.

"Oh," Nida looked down at his wrists. "Yeah, the gloves fit fairly tight, but I can never tighten the straps so that they don't move and rub when I fight...I have thinner wrists or something," Nida explained.

Zell considered his answer for a moment and then nodded in understanding. "I had a similar problem with my first pair."

'I'm sure you did,' Nida thought to himself as he finished off another hot-dog and then pushed the rest towards Zell. "My stomach's bothering me. You want these?"

"Heck yeah!" Zell exclaimed. "You gonna be alright?"

"Yeah," Nida answered. "I'm just going to go lay down a while. Cya later man."

"Later," Zell said as he picked up yet another hot-dog. "Yo Nida!" He called to Nida's retreating form.

"Yeah?"

"We should train again."

"Name a date."

"Tomorrow morning, nine o'clock."

"Sounds good."

Zell grinned. "I'll meet ya here. We'll get breakfast and then go to the training center."

-----

The entire way to Squall's apartment, Quistis stayed a few steps behind Seifer. Despite how she tried to fight it, a nagging feeling of dread seemed to keep looming in her mind. In front of her, Seifer stopped walking and then waited for the others to catch up.

"Everyone ready?" He asked. "Hope so." Before anyone could object, he began pounding his fist on Squall's door.

Quistis jumped at the sound. "Seifer!" She cried as she looked to Xu and Raijin for assistance. "Why can't you be halfway civilized and just use the doorbell?" Raijin suppressed a snicker as he put an arm over Xu's shoulders.

"Civilized?" Seifer raised an eyebrow. "Do you think me a savage Dear Instructor?" He laughed lightly. "For your information, the doorbell is louder and they have a baby...which with any luck will be asleep. Now considering the Commander's probably asleep and we're getting ready to wake him to talk about rankings and promotions, using the doorbell and waking the baby may be detrimental to our cause."

"Stop right there!" Quistis exclaimed. "You said he'd be awake!"

"And you believed me?" Seifer laughed. "You know how we get along. All I know of his habits are when he's either a, fighting or b, barking orders." Raijin and Xu remained silent as the two continued on, even when Squall answered the door.

Quistis narrowed her eyes. "I'm not your instructor anymore. I don't concern myself with how you two get along."

"Please," Seifer snorted. "The only thing you ever concerned yourself with was Squall."

"Seifer!" She stared at him in disbelief. "I can't believe you...how could you?" She jumped when she noticed Squall out of the corner of her eye. "You're just jealous because I didn't like you," She rolled her eyes and then turned to face Squall. "How long have you been there?"

"A while," Squall answered in an irritated tone. "Who was beating on my door?"

"I was," Seifer answered and then turned to Quistis. "And what on earth would make you think I would be jealous of him?" He cast his hand out toward Squall.

"Why?" Squall asked.

"The way you act!" Quistis answered Seifer.

Seifer narrowed his eyes but turned back to Squall. "Why what?"

Squall just took a deep breath and ran his hands through his hair.

"Its the way you strut around this place like your just the cock of the walk and then get so flustered when someone mentions his name!" Quistis continued her explanation and then she too thrust her hand in Squall's direction.

"What are you two talking about? Its late!" Squall interrupted them. "Why Seifer are you beating on my door in the middle of the night? Why are you at my door at all? And why are you three here with him?"

Seifer held up a hand to silence him. "First off, your grace." Quistis rolled her eyes. "You're apparently reading into my reactions a little too much. And secondly, you're paying entirely too much attention to me. Please, I know its hard, but move on. I'm sort of involved with someone."

Quistis just clenched her jaw and shook her head. "Squall I need to talk to you," She whispered. "And Seifer! Don't you ever assume that I have ever found you even the least bit attractive!" She shouted as she swiftly slapped him on the back of his head. "I have a boyfriend whom I am very happy with." She turned back to Squall. "Sorry about that. Can we come in?"

Figuring the only way to get rid of his guests was to hear them out, Squall stepped aside and sleepily watched the four people enter his apartment. "Do you realize what time it is?" He asked.

"Yes," Quistis wiped at her eyes. "I know its late."

Squall's gaze softened a little as he groggily slumped down in the armchair nearest the door. Raijin was the last to enter and lightly pressed the release button to close the door behind them.

"Nice jammies," Seifer teased Squall as he found a seat opposite him in another arm chair.

"..."

Seifer shrugged off his response as he watched Raijin sit down, next to Xu, on the couch. Squall looked over to where Quistis stood looking nervously through the window blinds. No one spoke. Rinoa came down the stairs, the light sounds of her steps being the only give away that she was even there. She stopped walking when she realized she had an audience. Seifer looked as if he wanted to make a comment on her gown but refrained. Squall cleared his throat, earning his rival's attention.

"Why are you guys here?" Squall asked as he brushed his hair out of his eyes and behind his ears.

"We didn't mean to wake you," Quistis apologized. "Its just...." She paused as she searched for the right words.

"We need to talk to you about Nida Roe Sir," Xu spoke up.

"Who?" Squall asked as Rinoa stepped behind his chair and rested her arms on his shoulders.

"Nida," Xu repeated.

Squall looked confused for a moment "The pilot?"

"Yes," Xu answered.

"What about him?" Squall's voice was beginning to have an edge to it.

"He could be in some serious trouble if you don't help him," Seifer said. Everyone in the room turned and just looked at him. "Quistis brought it to our attention."

"This had better not be because his birthday is coming up," Squall warned.

"How did you know about that?" Xu asked.

"One of Cid's memos. Can we continue?"

"It isn't that," Quistis assured him.

"What's wrong?" Rinoa asked as she ran her hands up Squall's chest and then along his shoulders.

"Nida's got some serious emotional problems," Xu answered.

Squall raised an eyebrow.

"He cuts himself," Seifer clarified Xu's response. "He and Quistis have been seeing each other a while now and she found out without him telling her."

"He needs some kind of help or something but I don't want to tell Kadowaki and him be put under more stress," Quistis admitted. "Just tell me, did he make the position."

"Chief Engineer?"

"Yes Squall."

"I wasn't going to release that until after we got Mayor Dobe's engineers out of Garden," Squall paused. "He cuts himself?" Everyone in the room with the exception of him and Rinoa nodded. "Why would someone do that? Even I was never that bad."

"He must be that unhappy," Rinoa whispered.

"We were kinda hopin' that him makin' Chief might brighten his spirits ya know?" Raijin shrugged. "He seems to be a super nice guy. Maybe he just never gets any breaks, ya know?"

"I'm not even going to ask how you all know he got the position," Squall glared at Seifer. Rinoa squeezed his arm. "And I can't promise that Kadowaki won't find out....but I can give him the news tomorrow." The tension that had occupied the room for the entire duration of the conversation lifted. Rinoa lightly hugged her husband. "Can I go to sleep now?"

-----

Nida examined the tan and pink shades of skin on his left wrist as he held his arm above his face. Lying, flat on his back, with his feet kicked up on the wall above his bed's headboard, he pushed the redial button on his phone.

"What am I doing?" He spoke silently as he examined his wrist. He took a deep breath of humid night air and rolled off his bed, landing on his feet. Walking barefoot over to his window, he stared at the illumination Fisherman's Horizon cast onto the water below. 'Just a minor setback. My dream is an arm's reach away. If it takes another seventeen years of suffering I'll make it,' He thought to himself.

"Hello?" Quistis' voice startled him.

"Hey."

"Nida?"

"Yeah. I know its late," He apologized.

"I was still up. I forgot my phone was on silent."

"Oh. Well I um just called because I was wandering if you might like to have dinner with me tomorrow night."

There was a pause. "You mean like an actual date?"

"Sorta yeah," He answered.

He heard her smile. "Sure."

He smiled. "I'll meet you by the quad like last time."

"Alright."

"How's nine?"

"After curfew?" She asked.

"I want to sit something up without the student's bothering it." She smiled again.

"Nine it is," She agreed. "Casual or formal?"

"Casual," He answered.

"I'll see you then," She said. "I have an eight o'clock class tomorrow. I need to get to sleep."

"Okay," He paused. "Good-night Quistis."

"Good-night Nida."

Nida flipped his phone shut and turned around to see two individuals standing in his doorway. He gave them a questioning look. "Can I help you with something?"

The female in the pair eyed him suspiciously. "He is kinda cute," She said to the boy with her.

"Whatever you say," The boy responded. "We should report back."

"Agreed."

Nida watched them leave and then quickly shut and locked his door. He shook off the discomfort the two had caused him and then looked himself over in the mirror. "Darn treppies," He whispered as he placed a pair of pants on top of the vest and fighting gloves he had set out for the following morning's plans. Switching off the light, he fell back onto his bed and closed his eyes.


	13. Dreams

DISCLAIMER- Who am I kidding. You guys know I don't own FF8.

Author's notes- I want to say thank you for the amount of reviews I recieved for the last chapter. I also would like to apologize because I don't know if it sounded like I was complaining about getting only a few reviews. I promise I wasn't complaining, although I do enjoy reviews, I was honestly trying to see if anyone else was getting author alerts.

MadHattess- I appreciate the reviews I do get. They all mean a lot to me.

JadeAlmasy- Thanks for the long review. HaHaHa! Vengeful treppies. lol. Don't worry I'll keep Nida safe. But the treppies are definitely watching him.

Rune- Thanks. I tried to keep the updates coming quickly, but this chapter was a little tricky to write...

tenshi no ai- I appreciate your reply. It was very well thought out and meant a lot. As for the whole cutting issue, I too have noticed a lot of those kinds of stories. I usually don't read them because the characters doing the cutting are smothering in their own self pity. That being said, I've tried very hard to make him interact well with the people around him. The interactions and camaraderie between characters often creates the best stories. As far as Squall's agreeing with the other characters so willingly, never fear I've thought about it. You're about two chapters ahead of me. Yes Nida does need to learn to close his door. And lastly, I'm so glad someone finally caught my title's double meaning. THANK YOU! And I've also noticed artistry and emotional problems being an interesting combination. I don't know how to answer that one. I would like to someday be an artist of some kind and now that I think about it, I did go through a pretty dark phase but I pulled myself out of it. I don't know. Again, thanks for the review.

Mie- Thanks for the review.

Dreams

The air inside the training center was hot and heavy. Inside, Zell drew his last sleep spell and then fell back a step. He licked his lips and watched as Nida swiftly stepped forward and began drawing magic from the sleeping grat. Sweat beaded up and ran slowly down his forehead and temples. He shook his head at the faint tickling sensation it caused. Nida finished his draw and then deftly leapt foreword and delivered the final blow to the low level monster. Zell leaned back against a downed tree trunk and took a deep breath. He let his shoulders fall as he looked up at the trees above. The remnants of one of his spikes fell into his face. He blew at the wet strand of hair and then brushed it back with his soiled hands.

Nida fell down into a sitting position that ended up with him lying on his back, staring up at the center's ceiling. He looked over to Zell and grinned at the blonde's limp blonde hair.

"What?" Zell asked.

"Nothing."

"Yeah well you don't look that good either," Zell crossed his arms. "You're filthy."

Nida laughed. "So are you."

"But I'm not the one lying in the dirt," Zell countered.

"I don't care," He said as he stretched his arms out to his side and closed his eyes.

"It only takes a few little grats to wear you out?"

"A few?" Nida laughed. "More like a few dozen. How many have we gone through?"

Zell shrugged. "Like thirty or so...I think. I wonder how many Squall keeps stocked in here."

"Don't know," Nida said as he rose to a sitting position. "Now that we're warmed up I say we go find a T-Rexaur."

"A normal tired person wouldn't just go look for the strongest monster in the training center. Its just crazy and suicidal. Even with our GFs equipped it'd still be..." Zell quit talking at the sound of a high pitched ring. He looked at Nida curiously. "You brought a phone in the training center?"

"It never rings," Nida said in disbelief as he pulled the phone from his pocket.

------

At the center's entrance, Quistis and Irvine led a group of candidates through the training center.

"Remember. This session is to just get you used to fighting non-human adversaries with your new weapons. In battles with stronger monsters you need to use GFs. For today's exercise GFs aren't necessary so long as you stay close and only fight the grats," Quistis looked over to where Irvine stood some twenty feet away. "Mark, Adam, you two stay with Instructor Kinneas. He'll take you in a little deeper and teach you how to handle your GFs." Both blonde boys nodded and then walked over to where Irvine waited.

Irvine led them no farther than a few feet before he heard a phone ring. He stopped and listened carefully. Both Mark and Adam knelt with him.

"Bringin' phones in here's not a real smart idea. Not only does it distract ya in a place that can be potentially dangerous, but it can draw the attention of some of the monsters and make ya a target," Irvine whispered. Irvine immediately recognized Nida's voice and waved Quistis over. She came as quietly as she could and then knelt down beside him.

"What?" She asked. "Someone needs to be with those students."

"Ssh," Irvine whispered. "You boys go watch the younger students and get 'em outta the way should a stronger monster come up."

"Ok," Adam answered as he and Mark went back and rejoined the younger group.

"What are we doing?" Quistis whispered.

"Listenin," Irvine answered.

--------

A fence and fallen tree away from Quistis and Irvine, Nida stayed down to hide from any surrounding monsters. He flipped the phone open and held it up to his ear.

"Hello?" He asked as he swatted at the leaves of some vine hanging over his head. "Sarah? I'm not really in a good spot to be taking this call." He listened quietly. "I'm In the middle of a monster infested training center. Did you need something?"

A few feet away, Zell paced around in a circle, hands clasped lightly at the small of his back. He paused and then climbed up on a fallen tree trunk. Nida watched him as he peered out over the overgrown fence. Zell then bounded down the trunk and lazily collapsed on the ground next to him.

"Ami asked me if I would mind paying for her to attend another school," He answered. "I-I don't know. I didn't ask probably for the same reason she didn't talk to you first."

"There's a class a few dozen feet off," Zell gestured over his shoulder. Nida tried unsuccessfully to look through the vegetation on the fence. "Yes Sarah, I'm listening."

Zell looked at him curiously. "Who is that?" He mouthed. Nida held up a finger.

"Look Sarah. I didn't tell you because I knew you'd try and stop it," He waited for a response. "Hello?" He asked. Sarah's voice became loud enough that Zell could hear her. Nida couldn't help but to shake his head at Zell's wince. "I'm not trying to act like her father!" Nida defended himself. "She just came to me because there's no talking to you....I'm talking about your attitude. You have no patience nor consideration for anyone."

Sarah's voice grew louder, causing Nida to pull the phone away from his ear. He and Zell both sat in silence as they listened to her all to audible rant. "Ever since your father died I tried to care for you two as best as I could but you didn't make it easy. Every thing I tried to do was somehow some part of an evil plan to erase your father from our lives," Sarah shouted. "I could never get a new job, or move us out of this house because it was changing the way things used to be when your father was alive. I could never go out and meet anyone without you throwing fits about them. I sent you off because you were uncontrollable. Now, thanks to you, I'm loosing control of the only family I have left."

Zell looked up at Nida with a bewildered expression on his face. Nida just shook his head.

"You never wanted a family Sarah," Nida said as he pulled the phone back up to his ear. "No. You had Ami and then sent me away."

"I sent you off because I couldn't control you!" She began shouting once again. Nida dropped the phone at the shrillness of her voice. Once he'd shaken the ringing from his ears, he quickly scooped the phone back up.

"You sent me off because I wasn't yours," Nida he shouted.

"These are the lies you've been telling your sister aren't they," Her voice was still audible to Zell who still sat just a few feet away.

"Its the truth."

"Nida. I'll only tell you this one more time. Don't you interfere with how I'm raising Amira. Its bad enough she's starting to act like you." Nida pulled the phone away from his ear as she kept talking. "If I have to take legal action I will..."

Nida snorted and then put the phone back up to his ear. "What are you going to do Sarah? Try and make me pay child support for my baby sister? You always did want men to financially support your lifestyle. Or, better yet! Why don't you just ship Ami off, sign her custody over to someone else and start anew!" Nida shouted. "Are you just calling me because you two have been fighting again? I try to be the peacemaker and tell her to get along with you. Leave me out of your problems. Please."

"You're my biggest problem!"

"I'm not even a part of your life anymore," Nida regained his composure and tried to calm down. Beside him, Zell watched him worriedly. Sarah grew silent. Nida waited for some kind of response. "What?" Nida asked. "I couldn't hear you," He paled and then quickly stood up and began pacing. "What are you going to do with Ami?" Nida stared off past Zell to where he could hear the shouts of students training nearby. "Galbadian Garden's been shut down until it can get a qualified headmaster, and Trabian Garden isn't accepting new students until its recovered from the damage it sustained in the past war."

"You know what?" Sarah's voice once again picked up enough volume that Nida could pull the phone from his ear and hear her fine. "You be here before noon on your birthday and I'll sign her over to you. If not, I'll find somewhere to put her."

"I get full custody," He spoke as he stopped pacing. "You get nothing. No weekends or holidays. No visitation unless I allow it."

"...You really do hate me don't you," She started.

"I don't hate anyone Sarah," He professed as he kicked at a pebble on the ground. "Sarah?"

"Be here before noon."

"I'll be there at dawn."

Sarah hung up on him. Carefully closing the phone, Nida looked over at Zell.

"Sorry about that," He apologized. "It was my step mom."

"Don't worry about it," Zell stood and slapped him lightly on the shoulder. "We can train some other time. It sounds like you got a lot going on anyway."

"I'm good," Nida assured him.

"You sure?"

"Yeah," Nida tucked the phone back in his pocket. "Nothing's gonna happen 'til I'm eighteen anyway."

"When will that be?"

"Five days."

"You should talk to Cid," Zell offered.

"Why?"

"Aren't you taking custody of your sister?" Nida nodded. "He and his wife used to run an orphanage. He's good at that kind of stuff."

-----

Quistis and Irvine remained silent as they sat on the otherside of the brush that separated them from Nida and Zell. Neither of them spoke as they listened for the other two to leave. Out in front of them, four of Irvine's students fought a lower level grat. Quistis watched their akward attacks stoicly.

"What are we doing?" She asked as she watched Adam charge the grat with his katana.

"What do ya mean?" Irvine whispered. "We're watchin' the younger students."

"We're teaching them to fight and to kill," She looked troubled. "Most of them aren't even fourteen and they know every weak point of the human body. They're just hitting puberty and we've already shaped them into lethal fighters."

"Don't talk like that," Irvine argued. "You're starting to sound like Dobe." Quistis glared at him. "I mean there may not be a sorceress to fight anymore, but the world's already found a job for SeeDs. We've become full-time international peace keepers. Most of these kids are here because they want ta be. They want to make a difference and be heroes. We're just teachin' them how to do it," He insisted. "Sure we teach them how ta fight, but they'll have ta be able ta protect themselves."

"What about the students that don't want to be here," She whispered. Irvine winced at her reference to Nida's phone call.

"Look Quisty, all I know is this. The manor in which we teach these kids is gonna determine what kinds of people they grow into. We aren't doin' a bad thing. So long as we set good examples and don't teach 'em to be ruthless they'll be alright."

"You'd make a great headmaster."

"I know," Irvine grinned as he helped her to her feet. She shook her head and began to walk off. "Hey Quisty. I kinda need to tell ya somethin' about Nida."

Quistis stopped and waited for him to speak. She knew exactly what he was about to say.

------

Quistis walked through the hoard of students trying to get to their classes and was relieved when she finally made it out to the ledge of the fountain in the main hall. Carefully brushing the back of her skirt down against her legs she sat down and opted to just let the crowd of candidates pass. A few of her students cast her a second glance as they walked by and a few more gawked at her and walked into the person in front of them.

'Gee, do I look that bad?' She wondered as the last few students passes by. A few strands of hair fell down into her face. She blew at it and watched as it seemed to almost float on the air. Turning on her seat, she looked down into the water below and stared at her faint reflection. 'My hair is going to drive me crazy. He'd better appreciate this.' A pair footsteps approached her and then stopped.

"Its past nine. You better hope you have your credentials on hand," Seifer's voice caused her to jump and almost fall into the fountain. She turned and glared at him angrily.

"You almost made me fall in there!" She exclaimed.

Seifer's eyes widened at the realization of who was sitting before him.

"Whoa!" Raijin cried out in surprise.

Quistis stood up and walked around Seifer. "Yes I have my credentials and no you can't see them."

"I honestly thought you were someone else," Seifer defended himself. Quistis stopped and shot him a skeptical look. "Seriously Instructor. Wearing your hair down makes you look totally different." She placed her hands on her hips.

"I'm late for a date. I don't have time to mess with you."

Seifer shook his head and began walking off. "Whatever Instructor. Just blow me off the one time I decide to be nice and compliment you."

"Ya look really pretty ya know," Raijin added as he took a few steps back and then followed after Seifer.

"You were going to compliment me?" Quistis asked.

Seifer stopped walking and turned to face her. "You're late for your date Instructor." Quistis just shook her head as she continued on her way to the quad. As she approached the double doors she noticed Nida sitting up against the wall, looking silently at the ground. He was clad in what looked like a pair of black denim pants and the dress shirt he'd worn to the ball. Her eyes immediately fell to where his sleeves were partly rolled back. With his bare feet planted on the floor and his wrists lightly resting on his bent knees, he resembled an artist's model more than a guy waiting for his date to arrive. Just as she reached him, he looked up and smiled at her. She couldn't help but smile back. 'Bare feet,' She smiled to herself. 'When he says casual he means it.'

Nida quickly stood and wrapped his arms around her. She was taken by surprise by his action but didn't object as she rested her head on his shoulder. She let him hold her there for a few moments longer and then felt a little let down that he broke off the hug and took a step back.

"What?" She asked.

He looked to the ground. "I was afraid you'd decided not to come," He admitted.

"No I'm here," She replied. "The mob of students slowed me down a bit."

He grinned as he pushed the door open with his palm. "Y-You look beautiful tonight."

"Thanks," She looked away.

"Come on," He said as he grabbed her hand and led her through the doorway. She followed him down the first and second flight of steps and then stopped between the second and third. He stepped aside and let her see what lay before them.

Her jaw dropped as she looked at the dinner sat out ontop of a quilt. Around it a few candles flickered in the warm night air. She slowly sat down looked around at the landscaping his candles illuminated. She ran her fingers along the quilt and then paused.

"How did you get my quilt?"

"Xu," Nida sat clumsily beside her and grinned.

"Xu!" Quistis laughed. "She told me she wanted to borrow a purse!"

"She lied," Nida laughed. Quistis swatted him playfully on the arm.

"Where did you get these candles?" She asked as she looked out over the entire setup. "And this food."

"The candles came from Zell." She looked up at his face in surprise. "And he got them from Fujin's room," Nida's voice cracked as he tried not to laugh.

"You had Zell steal candles from Fujin?"

"No no, its not like that," Nida grinned. "That's all she has in her room. Candles everywhere; on the dresser, the bookshelf, the desk, in boxes under her bed. Its an obsession. She'll never know they're missing." Quistis raised an eyebrow. "It was Zell's idea."

"What was?"

"To raid her room."

Quistis laughed as she brushed her hair behind her ears. "You didn't steal the food did you?"

Nida grinned. "Oh no. The food came from the refrigerator in my closet. I cooked it in my room on an electric grill."

"You cook?" She grinned.

"I try...occasionally."

"I'm impressed." She said as she picked up the plate nearest her and watched as he did the same. She tried to steal a glance at him as he ate. Her gaze fell down to where his sleeves were rolled back. Once she realized what her eyes were searching for she looked away. Beside her, Nida sat down his fork and plate.

"Is something wrong?" He asked.

"No," Quistis answered as she turned to face him. The intensity of his ebony eyes caught her off guard.

"You sure?"

She paused. "I have been wondering something."

"What?" He asked as he picked up his plate.

"I came from an orphanage. My parents died, or at least I guess they died when I was very small. I was placed in a home but things didn't work out so I ended up here. I grew up not knowing anyone in my family. I don't even know their names. I imagine that if I had a family somewhere I'd talk about them a lot." Nida quietly sliced up his fish fillet, knowing very well where the conversation was heading. "I guess I've been wondering about yours," She finished speaking and then started eating.

"My family...I guess I don't really have one." Quistis stopped chewing her food and gave him a quizzical look.

"I-I mean I have a sister but that's it. There are no traditional mother-father figures."

"Oh."

He sat his plate aside and leaned forward. "I can't remember my mother. She got real sick and died when I was two. My father married Sarah when I was four. Not long after that Amira was born. Everything was fine until my Dad got caught in the middle of a Galbadian conflict in Fisherman's Horizon," He paused. "His co-workers said he was trying to take up for some fisherman when the soldiers opened fire on him. I don't really know what happened....The people in our neighborhood were really nice and kept saying that things would get better. Truth is, things never got better after his funeral. After he died, Sarah kinda fell out of her motherly role and started changing everything. As time went on, nothing could ever be done to suit her, and me and Ami became burdens. We didn't get along anymore and so she sent me here. She used to always say that I wasn't her child because no child of hers would never act like I did. I know I was unruly, but she hated me and I knew it. I wasn't hers. I guess she though I'd make her look bad or something. I don't know. But that's pretty much my family synopsis and the foundation of my dream."

"Your dream?" Quistis asked. Nida looked down quickly. "Come on tell me."

"Its kinda silly."

"Can't be sillier than mine."

"What's yours?"

Quistis took a deep breath. "I don't plan on being here the rest of my life. Cid and Squall have no idea, but in a few years I'm leaving. I don't want my life to revolve around SeeD. I want to leave and go someplace remote. Maybe a small little place where my pictures weren't on every other tabloid after the sorceress war. I want to go some place overlooked, like Winhill or something," She grinned. "Where I could teach real classes, like language and reading. My dream would have to be to have a little house, a flower garden, a few kids and no attachment to SeeD." She began laughing. "That sounded so silly. Not even Xu knows that."

Nida smiled. "That's a nice dream," He paused. "Ever since my father died I've tried to do something to make Sarah happy. I knew I wasn't hers but she kept me around so I always tried to do something to make her proud or justified in her actions. At first I used my art. She always loved Dad's paintings, but mine were always too childish," He laughed. "I guess considering I was eight they would be. But when she sent me here, I became determined to become an officer for her. She's really big on that kind of stuff. You know, aristocracy and higher ranking military officials. The whole royalty of it all. I figured that if I made an officer she would have something that she could brag about. After that swimming incident that I told you about, she pretty much disowned me for good....It gets really lonely here. I realized that when I could never visit home on the holiday's like the other students. She wouldn't allow me. So then I decided to shoot for an officer's position so that maybe she might think better of me."

"Your dream is to impress her," Quistis looked troubled.

"Pretty much. If I can do something worthy of her praise just once she might let me back in," He paused. "Its one thing to never know your family, or to have them die and leave you behind. Its a completely different feeling when they look down on you and hate you." He played with his fork absently. Quistis watched him silently. "Have you ever been close enough to your dreams that you could just reach out and touch them?"

"When I was little my dream was to have parents. A traditional family as you called it," Quistis spoke. "I had that dream and I held it dear. But some things aren't meant to be."

"I know what you mean."

Quistis narrowed her eyes. "What?"

"I know we picked up some engineers from Esthar," He shrugged as he offered her some tea. She took it gratefully. "I guess my dream isn't so important anymore because I'm getting custody of Ami and here pretty soon, Sarah won't even be in the picture."

"But its your dream."

"Its a dream for lack of a better dream."

"What do you mean? There has to be something else you want in life."

Nida covered his mouth and nodded. "Yeah. I want to be happy." Quistis stared at him. "I didn't want to say anything and come off as a needy or emotionally distraught boyfriend, but I want to be able to laugh and enjoy the company of my friends without silently worrying about my stepmother."

"Almost every person in this place is needing something." Nida remained silent as Quistis leaned her head against his chest. "You're not alone." She heard him smile as she closed her eyes.

He slowly wrapped his arm around her waist and gazed out at the flickering flame of the candles before them.

DISCLAIMER

Author's notes

MadHattess-

JadeAlmasy- Thanks for the long review. HaHaHa! Vengeful treppies. lol. Don't worry I'll keep Nida safe. But the treppies are definitely watching him.

Rune- Thanks. I tried to keep the updates coming quickly, but this chapter was a little tricky to write...

tenshi no ai- I appreciate your reply. It was very well thought out and meant a lot. As for the whole cutting issue, I too have noticed a lot of those kinds of stories. I usually don't read them because the characters doing the cutting are smothering in their own self pity. That being said, I've tried very hard to make him interact well with the people around him. The interactions and camaraderie between characters often creates the best stories. As far as Squall's agreeing with the other characters so willingly, never fear I've thought about it. You're about two chapters ahead of me. Yes Nida does need to learn to close his door. And lastly, I'm so glad someone finally caught my title's double meaning. THANK YOU! And I've also noticed artistry and emotional problems being an interesting combination. I don't know how to answer that one. I would like to someday be an artist of some kind and now that I think about it, I did go through a pretty dark phase but I pulled myself out of it. I don't know. Again, thanks for the review.

Mie- Thanks for the review.

The air inside the training center was hot and heavy. Inside, Zell drew his last sleep spell and then fell back a step. He licked his lips and watched as Nida swiftly stepped forward and began drawing magic from the sleeping grat. Sweat beaded up and ran slowly down his forehead and temples. He shook his head at the faint tickling sensation it caused. Nida finished his draw and then deftly leapt foreword and delivered the final blow to the low level monster. Zell leaned back against a downed tree trunk and took a deep breath. He let his shoulders fall as he looked up at the trees above. The remnants of one of his spikes fell into his face. He blew at the wet strand of hair and then brushed it back with his soiled hands.

Nida fell down into a sitting position that ended up with him lying on his back, staring up at the center's ceiling. He looked over to Zell and grinned at the blonde's limp blonde hair.

"What?" Zell asked.

"Nothing."

"Yeah well you don't look that good either," Zell crossed his arms. "You're filthy."

Nida laughed. "So are you."

"But I'm not the one lying in the dirt," Zell countered.

"I don't care," He said as he stretched his arms out to his side and closed his eyes.

"It only takes a few little grats to wear you out?"

"A few?" Nida laughed. "More like a few dozen. How many have we gone through?"

Zell shrugged. "Like thirty or so...I think. I wonder how many Squall keeps stocked in here."

"Don't know," Nida said as he rose to a sitting position. "Now that we're warmed up I say we go find a T-Rexaur."

"A normal tired person wouldn't just go look for the strongest monster in the training center. Its just crazy and suicidal. Even with our GFs equipped it'd still be..." Zell quit talking at the sound of a high pitched ring. He looked at Nida curiously. "You brought a phone in the training center?"

"It never rings," Nida said in disbelief as he pulled the phone from his pocket.

------

At the center's entrance, Quistis and Irvine led a group of candidates through the training center.

"Remember. This session is to just get you used to fighting non-human adversaries with your new weapons. In battles with stronger monsters you need to use GFs. For today's exercise GFs aren't necessary so long as you stay close and only fight the grats," Quistis looked over to where Irvine stood some twenty feet away. "Mark, Adam, you two stay with Instructor Kinneas. He'll take you in a little deeper and teach you how to handle your GFs." Both blonde boys nodded and then walked over to where Irvine waited.

Irvine led them no farther than a few feet before he heard a phone ring. He stopped and listened carefully. Both Mark and Adam knelt with him.

"Bringin' phones in here's not a real smart idea. Not only does it distract ya in a place that can be potentially dangerous, but it can draw the attention of some of the monsters and make ya a target," Irvine whispered. Irvine immediately recognized Nida's voice and waved Quistis over. She came as quietly as she could and then knelt down beside him.

"What?" She asked. "Someone needs to be with those students."

"Ssh," Irvine whispered. "You boys go watch the younger students and get 'em outta the way should a stronger monster come up."

"Ok," Adam answered as he and Mark went back and rejoined the younger group.

"What are we doing?" Quistis whispered.

"Listenin," Irvine answered.

--------

A fence and fallen tree away from Quistis and Irvine, Nida stayed down to hide from any surrounding monsters. He flipped the phone open and held it up to his ear.

"Hello?" He asked as he swatted at the leaves of some vine hanging over his head. "Sarah? I'm not really in a good spot to be taking this call." He listened quietly. "I'm In the middle of a monster infested training center. Did you need something?"

A few feet away, Zell paced around in a circle, hands clasped lightly at the small of his back. He paused and then climbed up on a fallen tree trunk. Nida watched him as he peered out over the overgrown fence. Zell then bounded down the trunk and lazily collapsed on the ground next to him.

"Ami asked me if I would mind paying for her to attend another school," He answered. "I-I don't know. I didn't ask probably for the same reason she didn't talk to you first."

"There's a class a few dozen feet off," Zell gestured over his shoulder. Nida tried unsuccessfully to look through the vegetation on the fence. "Yes Sarah, I'm listening."

Zell looked at him curiously. "Who is that?" He mouthed. Nida held up a finger.

"Look Sarah. I didn't tell you because I knew you'd try and stop it," He waited for a response. "Hello?" He asked. Sarah's voice became loud enough that Zell could hear her. Nida couldn't help but to shake his head at Zell's wince. "I'm not trying to act like her father!" Nida defended himself. "She just came to me because there's no talking to you....I'm talking about your attitude. You have no patience nor consideration for anyone."

Sarah's voice grew louder, causing Nida to pull the phone away from his ear. He and Zell both sat in silence as they listened to her all to audible rant. "Ever since your father died I tried to care for you two as best as I could but you didn't make it easy. Every thing I tried to do was somehow some part of an evil plan to erase your father from our lives," Sarah shouted. "I could never get a new job, or move us out of this house because it was changing the way things used to be when your father was alive. I could never go out and meet anyone without you throwing fits about them. I sent you off because you were uncontrollable. Now, thanks to you, I'm loosing control of the only family I have left."

Zell looked up at Nida with a bewildered expression on his face. Nida just shook his head.

"You never wanted a family Sarah," Nida said as he pulled the phone back up to his ear. "No. You had Ami and then sent me away."

"I sent you off because I couldn't control you!" She began shouting once again. Nida dropped the phone at the shrillness of her voice. Once he'd shaken the ringing from his ears, he quickly scooped the phone back up.

"You sent me off because I wasn't yours," Nida he shouted.

"These are the lies you've been telling your sister aren't they," Her voice was still audible to Zell who still sat just a few feet away.

"Its the truth."

"Nida. I'll only tell you this one more time. Don't you interfere with how I'm raising Amira. Its bad enough she's starting to act like you." Nida pulled the phone away from his ear as she kept talking. "If I have to take legal action I will..."

Nida snorted and then put the phone back up to his ear. "What are you going to do Sarah? Try and make me pay child support for my baby sister? You always did want men to financially support your lifestyle. Or, better yet! Why don't you just ship Ami off, sign her custody over to someone else and start anew!" Nida shouted. "Are you just calling me because you two have been fighting again? I try to be the peacemaker and tell her to get along with you. Leave me out of your problems. Please."

"You're my biggest problem!"

"I'm not even a part of your life anymore," Nida regained his composure and tried to calm down. Beside him, Zell watched him worriedly. Sarah grew silent. Nida waited for some kind of response. "What?" Nida asked. "I couldn't hear you," He paled and then quickly stood up and began pacing. "What are you going to do with Ami?" Nida stared off past Zell to where he could hear the shouts of students training nearby. "Galbadian Garden's been shut down until it can get a qualified headmaster, and Trabian Garden isn't accepting new students until its recovered from the damage it sustained in the past war."

"You know what?" Sarah's voice once again picked up enough volume that Nida could pull the phone from his ear and hear her fine. "You be here before noon on your birthday and I'll sign her over to you. If not, I'll find somewhere to put her."

"I get full custody," He spoke as he stopped pacing. "You get nothing. No weekends or holidays. No visitation unless I allow it."

"...You really do hate me don't you," She started.

"I don't hate anyone Sarah," He professed as he kicked at a pebble on the ground. "Sarah?"

"Be here before noon."

"I'll be there at dawn."

Sarah hung up on him. Carefully closing the phone, Nida looked over at Zell.

"Sorry about that," He apologized. "It was my step mom."

"Don't worry about it," Zell stood and slapped him lightly on the shoulder. "We can train some other time. It sounds like you got a lot going on anyway."

"I'm good," Nida assured him.

"You sure?"

"Yeah," Nida tucked the phone back in his pocket. "Nothing's gonna happen 'til I'm eighteen anyway."

"When will that be?"

"Five days."

"You should talk to Cid," Zell offered.

"Why?"

"Aren't you taking custody of your sister?" Nida nodded. "He and his wife used to run an orphanage. He's good at that kind of stuff."

-----

Quistis and Irvine remained silent as they sat on the otherside of the brush that separated them from Nida and Zell. Neither of them spoke as they listened for the other two to leave. Out in front of them, four of Irvine's students fought a lower level grat. Quistis watched their awkward attacks stoicly.

"What are we doing?" She asked as she watched Adam charge the grat with his katana.

"What do ya mean?" Irvine whispered. "We're watchin' the younger students."

"We're teaching them to fight and to kill," She looked troubled. "Most of them aren't even fourteen and they know every weak point of the human body. They're just hitting puberty and we've already shaped them into lethal fighters."

"Don't talk like that," Irvine argued. "You're starting to sound like Dobe." Quistis glared at him. "I mean there may not be a sorceress to fight anymore, but the world's already found a job for SeeDs. We've become full-time international peace keepers. Most of these kids are here because they want ta be. They want to make a difference and be heroes. We're just teachin' them how to do it," He insisted. "Sure we teach them how ta fight, but they'll have ta be able ta protect themselves."

"What about the students that don't want to be here," She whispered. Irvine winced at her reference to Nida's phone call.

"Look Quisty, all I know is this. The manor in which we teach these kids is gonna determine what kinds of people they grow into. We aren't doin' a bad thing. So long as we set good examples and don't teach 'em to be ruthless they'll be alright."

"You'd make a great headmaster."

"I know," Irvine grinned as he helped her to her feet. She shook her head and began to walk off. "Hey Quisty. I kinda need to tell ya somethin' about Nida."

Quistis stopped and waited for him to speak. She knew exactly what he was about to say.

------

Quistis walked through the hoard of students trying to get to their classes and was relieved when she finally made it out to the ledge of the fountain in the main hall. Carefully brushing the back of her skirt down against her legs she sat down and opted to just let the crowd of candidates pass. A few of her students cast her a second glance as they walked by and a few more gawked at her and walked into the person in front of them.

'Gee, do I look that bad?' She wondered as the last few students passes by. A few strands of hair fell down into her face. She blew at it and watched as it seemed to almost float on the air. Turning on her seat, she looked down into the water below and stared at her faint reflection. 'My hair is going to drive me crazy. He'd better appreciate this.' A pair footsteps approached her and then stopped.

"Its past nine. You better hope you have your credentials on hand," Seifer's voice caused her to jump and almost fall into the fountain. She turned and glared at him angrily.

"You almost made me fall in there!" She exclaimed.

Seifer's eyes widened at the realization of who was sitting before him.

"Whoa!" Raijin cried out in surprise.

Quistis stood up and walked around Seifer. "Yes I have my credentials and no you can't see them."

"I honestly thought you were someone else," Seifer defended himself. Quistis stopped and shot him a skeptical look. "Seriously Instructor. Wearing your hair down makes you look totally different." She placed her hands on her hips.

"I'm late for a date. I don't have time to mess with you."

Seifer shook his head and began walking off. "Whatever Instructor. Just blow me off the one time I decide to be nice and compliment you."

"Ya look really pretty ya know," Raijin added as he took a few steps back and then followed after Seifer.

"You were going to compliment me?" Quistis asked.

Seifer stopped walking and turned to face her. "You're late for your date Instructor." Quistis just shook her head as she continued on her way to the quad. As she approached the double doors she noticed Nida sitting up against the wall, looking silently at the ground. He was clad in what looked like a pair of black denim pants and the dress shirt he'd worn to the ball. Her eyes immediately fell to where his sleeves were partly rolled back. With his bare feet planted on the floor and his wrists lightly resting on his bent knees, he resembled an artist's model more than a guy waiting for his date to arrive. Just as she reached him, he looked up and smiled at her. She couldn't help but smile back. 'Bare feet,' She smiled to herself. 'When he says casual he means it.'

Nida quickly stood and wrapped his arms around her. She was taken by surprise by his action but didn't object as she rested her head on his shoulder. She let him hold her there for a few moments longer and then felt a little let down that he broke off the hug and took a step back.

"What?" She asked.

He looked to the ground. "I was afraid you'd decided not to come," He admitted.

"No I'm here," She replied. "The mob of students slowed me down a bit."

He grinned as he pushed the door open with his palm. "Y-You look beautiful tonight."

"Thanks," She looked away.

"Come on," He said as he grabbed her hand and led her through the doorway. She followed him down the first and second flight of steps and then stopped between the second and third. He stepped aside and let her see what lay before them.

Her jaw dropped as she looked at the dinner sat out ontop of a quilt. Around it a few candles flickered in the warm night air. She slowly sat down looked around at the landscaping his candles illuminated. She ran her fingers along the quilt and then paused.

"How did you get my quilt?"

"Xu," Nida sat clumsily beside her and grinned.

"Xu!" Quistis laughed. "She told me she wanted to borrow a purse!"

"She lied," Nida laughed. Quistis swatted him playfully on the arm.

"Where did you get these candles?" She asked as she looked out over the entire setup. "And this food."

"The candles came from Zell." She looked up at his face in surprise. "And he got them from Fujin's room," Nida's voice cracked as he tried not to laugh.

"You had Zell steal candles from Fujin?"

"No no, its not like that," Nida grinned. "That's all she has in her room. Candles everywhere; on the dresser, the bookshelf, the desk, in boxes under her bed. Its an obsession. She'll never know they're missing." Quistis raised an eyebrow. "It was Zell's idea."

"What was?"

"To raid her room."

Quistis laughed as she brushed her hair behind her ears. "You didn't steal the food did you?"

Nida grinned. "Oh no. The food came from the refrigerator in my closet. I cooked it in my room on an electric grill."

"You cook?" She grinned.

"I try...occasionally."

"I'm impressed." She said as she picked up the plate nearest her and watched as he did the same. She tried to steal a glance at him as he ate. Her gaze fell down to where his sleeves were rolled back. Once she realized what her eyes were searching for she looked away. Beside her, Nida sat down his fork and plate.

"Is something wrong?" He asked.

"No," Quistis answered as she turned to face him. The intensity of his ebony eyes caught her off guard.

"You sure?"

She paused. "I have been wondering something."

"What?" He asked as he picked up his plate.

"I came from an orphanage. My parents died, or at least I guess they died when I was very small. I was placed in a home but things didn't work out so I ended up here. I grew up not knowing anyone in my family. I don't even know their names. I imagine that if I had a family somewhere I'd talk about them a lot." Nida quietly sliced up his fish fillet, knowing very well where the conversation was heading. "I guess I've been wondering about yours," She finished speaking and then started eating.

"My family...I guess I don't really have one." Quistis stopped chewing her food and gave him a quizzical look.

"I-I mean I have a sister but that's it. There are no traditional mother-father figures."

"Oh."

He sat his plate aside and leaned forward. "I can't remember my mother. She got real sick and died when I was two. My father married Sarah when I was four. Not long after that Amira was born. Everything was fine until my Dad got caught in the middle of a Galbadian conflict in Fisherman's Horizon," He paused. "His co-workers said he was trying to take up for some fisherman when the soldiers opened fire on him. I don't really know what happened....The people in our neighborhood were really nice and kept saying that things would get better. Truth is, things never got better after his funeral. After he died, Sarah kinda fell out of her motherly role and started changing everything. As time went on, nothing could ever be done to suit her, and me and Ami became burdens. We didn't get along anymore and so she sent me here. She used to always say that I wasn't her child because no child of hers would never act like I did. I know I was unruly, but she hated me and I knew it. I wasn't hers. I guess she though I'd make her look bad or something. I don't know. But that's pretty much my family synopsis and the foundation of my dream."

"Your dream?" Quistis asked. Nida looked down quickly. "Come on tell me."

"Its kinda silly."

"Can't be sillier than mine."

"What's yours?"

Quistis took a deep breath. "I don't plan on being here the rest of my life. Cid and Squall have no idea, but in a few years I'm leaving. I don't want my life to revolve around SeeD. I want to leave and go someplace remote. Maybe a small little place where my pictures weren't on every other tabloid after the sorceress war. I want to go some place overlooked, like Winhill or something," She grinned. "Where I could teach real classes, like language and reading. My dream would have to be to have a little house, a flower garden, a few kids and no attachment to SeeD." She began laughing. "That sounded so silly. Not even Xu knows that."

Nida smiled. "That's a nice dream," He paused. "Ever since my father died I've tried to do something to make Sarah happy. I knew I wasn't hers but she kept me around so I always tried to do something to make her proud or justified in her actions. At first I used my art. She always loved Dad's paintings, but mine were always too childish," He laughed. "I guess considering I was eight they would be. But when she sent me here, I became determined to become an officer for her. She's really big on that kind of stuff. You know, aristocracy and higher ranking military officials. The whole royalty of it all. I figured that if I made an officer she would have something that she could brag about. After that swimming incident that I told you about, she pretty much disowned me for good....It gets really lonely here. I realized that when I could never visit home on the holiday's like the other students. She wouldn't allow me. So then I decided to shoot for an officer's position so that maybe she might think better of me."

"Your dream is to impress her," Quistis looked troubled.

"Pretty much. If I can do something worthy of her praise just once she might let me back in," He paused. "Its one thing to never know your family, or to have them die and leave you behind. Its a completely different feeling when they look down on you and hate you." He played with his fork absently. Quistis watched him silently. "Have you ever been close enough to your dreams that you could just reach out and touch them?"

"When I was little my dream was to have parents. A traditional family as you called it," Quistis spoke. "I had that dream and I held it dear. But some things aren't meant to be."

"I know what you mean."

Quistis narrowed her eyes. "What?"

"I know we picked up some engineers from Esthar," He shrugged as he offered her some tea. She took it gratefully. "I guess my dream isn't so important anymore because I'm getting custody of Ami and here pretty soon, Sarah won't even be in the picture."

"But its your dream."

"Its a dream for lack of a better dream."

"What do you mean? There has to be something else you want in life."

Nida covered his mouth and nodded. "Yeah. I want to be happy." Quistis stared at him. "I didn't want to say anything and come off as a needy or emotionally distraught boyfriend, but I want to be able to laugh and enjoy the company of my friends without silently worrying about my stepmother."

"Almost every person in this place is needing something." Nida remained silent as Quistis leaned her head against his chest. "You're not alone." She heard him smile as she closed her eyes.

He slowly wrapped his arm around her waist and gazed out at the flickering flame of the candles before them.


	14. Headmaster

Disclaimer- You guys know the drill. I own nothing except my cat.

Author's notes- Sorry for the delay folks, I've just been having a few problems getting ontothe site. There's only two little things you really need to know for this chapter to make sense. One is that Cid and Squall aren't entirely on the same page when it comes to promoting Nida. Second is that if you've read Darkened Ice you'd remember that due to an accident, Squall's eyes are now very sensitive to bright lights and don't pick up on . That's why he's always wearing his glasses, which are tinted.

JadeAlmasy- Glad you liked their date so much. I'll try to have the next chapter up as quickly as possible.

Rune- I really appreciate your review. Thanks.

Sulou- I'm glad you're catching up with my chapters. The Seifer/Quistis scenes in this story are getting more and more fun to write as I go on. I just have to keep reminding myself that Quistis is with Nida and Seifer is taken. lol

Headmaster

The second hand ticked louder with each passing moment. Despite the abnormally hot day outside, Squall's office had become colder than Trabia in an ice storm. Squall quietly removed his thin framed glasses and leaned back in his chair. Across the desk from him, Xu stood rigid, her hands clasped firmly at the small of her back. She watched him silently. He looked up at her through the hair that hung in his face.

"Its early," He stated as he rose from his chair and opened one of his windows.

"Not even eight o'clock Sir," Xu confirmed his statement. He looked her over suspiciously. she remained silent. Growing tired of her game, he started his own. He put on his glasses and began flipping through a pile of folders on his desk. Xu remained silent. Casually reaching into his top desk drawer, Squall pulled out a pen and a stamp. Opening the folder before him, he scanned over the papers it held. Xu looked on as he signed his initials in a few places and then went to the second page. The process continued for a few more pages before Xu cleared her throat.

"I talked to Quistis last night," She said as she crossed her arms.

Squall responded by stamping all of the signed papers with Balamb's seal.

"She and Nida had dinner."

"Did they," He asked as he methodically opened another folder. 'Why are you telling me this?' His mind groaned.

"Squall!" She cried as she abruptly dropped into the chair across from him. He looked up at her in surprise but remained quiet. "I thought you were going to talk to him," Xu stated.

"There was a change of plans."

"Change of plans?"

Squall looked up at her and nodded.

"Why?" Xu slid her hands over his papers, obstructing his view. He stared at the back of her hands for a moment before looking up at her face. "What made you change your mind?" Squall sighed as he pulled his papers free.

"I don't have to explain anything. I run this garden," He said as he signed another paper. Xu fell back in her seat and sat unmoving.

"Come on," She argued. "I got up early so that I could come talk to you, one concerned friend to another. I got five minutes before my duty starts. I was just curious as to why you changed your mind."

"I never asked to be Commander," Squall spoke. "I never asked for any friends." Xu raised an eyebrow. "And yet I have both," He rubbed his temples. "Its confusing sometimes when I need to make a decision. I sat in this office all day yesterday trying to figure out what to do."

"What do you mean?" Xu asked.

"..." Squall looked away. "I've never told anyone this before. But I still hate this job."

"Really? Why?"

"See this piece of paper?" Squall held up a form from his desk. "This is a release form to allow Seifer to accompany Quistis to Fisherman's Horizon today. Two weeks ago I signed a contract that sent thirty-four SeeDs into the trabian wilderness to help control the monster population. Nearly a month ago, eighty-five SeeDs were sent down to Centra to help control and regulate the warring tribes that were threatening a small fishing village. All I do is sign away lives." Xu looked confused. "I tell people where to go, who to fight, who to defend, and where to die."

"Squall, they're SeeDs, they chose this life."

"You say that because you're not the one behind this desk," He stood. "I don't like being in charge of all of this. But I don't know what else to do. I think Nida is capable of doing this job. As a friend I want to promote him. But all night I laid awake trying to figure out if our friendship was clouding my judgement."

"Have you decided anything?"

"I have no proof to suggest he's mentally stable enough to do the job and by the same token, I know he's capable."

"What if we knew what was stressing him out?" Xu suggested. "If we knew and could remedy the problem, then would that influence your decision?"

Squall crossed his arms and stood up. She watched as he walked over to the window and looked out. "I don't know," He admitted.

"Its his stepmother," Xu spoke.

Squall looked over at her. "Stepmother?"

"I talked to Quistis last night. She said he started talking about how his stepmother sent him here after his father died. She's pretty much disowned him, except for the gil she's somehow gotten him to fork out to send his younger sister to a private school. Zell said she called yesterday while he and Nida were training and they got into a fight over the phone."

"We don't know for sure if that's his only problem."

"There can't be anything worse for a child to have their only surviving parental figure hate them."

Squall remained silent.

"I have to go replace Natasha on the bridge. We can talk later...if you want."

Squall nodded and watched as she left. Now alone, he sat on the corner of his desk and rubbed his temples.

-------

Quistis had never felt as frustrated with a mission as she did this one. Dobe was at the bottom of her list when it came to people she enjoyed associating with. She walked faster, hastening her descent down the rickety metal staircase. Her hand lightly held onto the railing as she continued on her way. Once she reached the bottom, she quickly stepped into the lift and waited for Seifer. Once he was with her, the lift was lowered down. While they descended, she looked at her hand, stained red from the rusted railing. She grimaced as she tried to wipe the offending color off.

"This is so pathetic," She said through grinted teeth.

Beside her, Seifer raised an eyebrow. "I'm glad I'm not the only one looking forward to this mission."

Quistis turned to face him. "Don't get sarcastic with me. I'm in charge on this mission and we have to at least appear to be on the same team when we meet him."

Seifer snorted. "That wasn't sarcasm dear Instructor. I can't stand that man. Dobe's such a pansy," He said as the lift operator opened the door for them and shot him an aggravated look. Seifer shook his head and stared at the man as he followed Quistis down the final few steps.

"Stop intimidating people," Quistis said as she slapped him across the chest with the back of her hand.

"You forget, that's my job in this mission," Seifer responded. Quistis fell silent as she continued walking. "Nice day for fishing," Seifer noted.

It was Quistis' time to snort. "Oh yes the temperature's nice and hot, there's no humidity, the birds are chirping, and the children are laughing as they play on rusted rebar suspended out over the ocean."

"You don't like this place do you," Seifer stated.

"I hate this place. This place represents laziness and spinelessness," Quistis confessed. "Look at these living conditions!" She flung her arm out around her. "Its detestable and unacceptable. The citizens here are smart people. They can do better but they choose not to."

"I'm not arguing with you on that one."

Quistis stopped walking and looked up at him. "Finally. We agree on something."

"I figured it had to happen once in our lifetime so I thought I'd get it over with."

"I'm elated," She grinned as she continued walking down to the mayor's house. "When we get in there, I do the talking. You just look intimidating."

"That's it?" Seifer's voice sounded let down.

"That's all you said your mission description entailed."

"This sucks. I just made that up you know."

"Yes I know. But I'm also Captain on this mission and I say what you do."

"The Instructor strikes back," Seifer mumbled.

"Seifer," She turned to him before she knocked on the door. "Behave. That's all I'm going to say." A loud creak signified their presence as known. Quistis turned around to see Flo in the doorway.

"We're here to speak with Mayor Dobe regarding his affiliations with Balamb Garden."

"Come on in," Flo held the door open for them. "He's been waiting on you all morning. You can have a seat in there." Quistis nodded and then entered the room where Dobe sat silently.

"We're here on behalf of Balamb Garden. We've met before, but this is my partner, Seifer Almasy," Quistis introduced them.

The mayor nodded. "Please have a seat." Quistis grimaced as she sat back down in the same place he'd had her sit the time before. Seifer remained standing behind her. "Mr. Almasy. Have a seat...I insist."

Seifer shook his head. "I hurt my knee a few weeks back. If I sit down there I'll never be able to get back up." The mayor chuckled at his comment and then shrugged it off.

"Very well. Don't say I didn't offer you a seat," He turned his attention to Quistis. "I am exalted that Balamb Garden has reopened negotiations with my humble city. I apologize for our last encounter. I was acting quite out of character that day. So what have you come to discuss? Have you reviewed the questionable curriculum?"

"No, I don't need to. I teach that curriculum to four different classes of students on alternate days," Quistis answered.

"Then why are you here?" Dobe's voice took on a darker tone.

"To find out how quickly you can withdraw your engineers from our Garden. We're no longer in need of the services in which they can supply."

Mayor Dobe stared at Quistis in dismay. "You can't possibly be serious."

"She is," Seifer spoke up. "We've trained replacements."

"We've found its better for Balamb Garden to remain self-reliant than to bend to the demands of aiding governments. It makes us look more neutral in international affairs. You understand don't you?"

"You want them all gone?" Dobe asked.

"As soon as possible," Seifer let his voice take a deeper tone. Dobe stiffened.

"Fine. We have nothing else to talk about. They'll all be back here, where they belong, within the hour. You can leave."

Quistis silently stood and led the way out of Dobe's house. As soon as she'd stepped off the front porch she waited for Seifer. "That went well."

-----

He walked nervously down the hallway on the newly remodeled third floor. He'd come from Headmaster Cid's empty office and had since passed the Commander's office, the conference room, and was nearing the Headmaster's apartment. Taking a calming breath, he pressed the buzzer and then quickly withdrew his hand. The silence of the floor around him made him even more uncomfortable as he waited for someone to answer the door. He fidgeted uncomfortably and played with the ends of his sleeves. The door hissed open abruptly, causing him to jump in surprise.

"I'm sorry child," Edea laughed. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"No its alright," Nida assured her.

"Did you need something?" She asked as she pulled her long raven hair back up into a hair clip.

"I needed to talk to Headmaster Cid," He answered. "Its important."

Edea stepped to the side and let him enter. "He should be finished with his lunch. I'll go get him."

Nida nodded in appreciation and then looked around. On the floor, he watched as Irvine's son scribbled on the pages of his coloring book. He knelt down and watched him.

"Hey Toby. Whatcha coloring?" Nida asked the red-headed child beside him.

"Itz uh buttufly," Toby answered as he handed Nida a crayon. "Here. Colur wit me." Nida grinned as he took the slightly chewed green pastel from Toby's hand. A shadow fell across the floor. Dropping the crayon, Nida quickly rose and saluted Cid's silhouetted form in the doorway.

"At ease boy," Cid smiled. "Come have a seat and we'll talk."

Nida nodded hastily and followed him into the kitchen. Cid walked over to his chair and slowly sat down. He carefully folded the newspaper he'd left on the table and waited while Nida took a seat.

"Mr. Poe, I mean Roe," Cid corrected himself. "I apologize. You have a simple name but for the life of me I just can't seem to ever get it right," He chuckled. Nida grinned nervously. "So," Cid cleared his throat. "What is it you needed to talk with me about?"

Nida opened his mouth to speak but stopped. He concentrated on the wheat colored swirls of the kitchen table before him as he tried to form words. "I talked to someone who said that you and your wife used to run an orphanage," He stated.

Cid looked at him in surprise. Edea stepped into the kitchen, curious as to where the conversation was heading. "You were told correctly," Cid confirmed. "Is that why you came here?"

"Kinda," Nida swallowed and then took a deep breath. "I...I um...am going to get custody of my little sister in a few days. Problem is I don't exactly trust my stepmother. She said that I would get full custody...but she's just handing my sister over too easily."

Cid furrowed his brow as he leaned forward on his elbows and listened. "You'll bring your sister here to live?" He asked.

"Is that a problem?" Nida asked.

"Yes and no," Cid answered. "First of all, we're swamped with new students. Given you're going to have custody of her, that would put her at a higher priority than the other students. She's guaranteed admittance because her only guardian is a SeeD member. She'd be expected to go through the same training and classes you did. The problem however, would lie in her boarding. Because she is in your guardianship, she will be roughly viewed as your child or dependent thus making her ineligible to have a seperate dorm and making it necessary for her to live in yours with you." He paused. "Edea dear, go get my folders please." Nida watched as Edea walked out of view and into the other room. Cid leaned forward. "Don't say anything yet, but later on, you may be awarded an apartment. They were originally going to be reserved for SeeDs that were married or parents, but the more I thought about it the more I realized that wouldn't work. We just don't have the room. So, I've hired a crew to convert the storage space and two classrooms on the second floor into apartments. More classrooms will be built in the basement to compensate but that's an entirely different matter," He paused. "I plan on awarding the apartments to all members of my senior staff and a few other higher ranking SeeDs." Nida leaned forward, hanging on his every word. "Has Squall talked to you?"

"No," Nida answered. Cid looked troubled. "Was he supposed to?"

Cid shrugged. "I don't know. But that doesn't matter. Any promotions he decides upon have to clear through me, not vice versa." Edea returned with a bundle of folders. "Thank you dear," He said as he quickly opened them. "Nida, my council has agreed that the next Chief Engineer should be someone from a Garden. We're about to leave Fisherman's Horizon's engineers behind. We called some down from Esthar to compensate but despite what we do its going to look like we're playing favorites...unless we use our own. The council has agreed to promote you up to senior staff, thus raising your rank to twenty-five, increasing your salary, providing extra training and upgrading your living quarters."

Nida sat stunned. Cid grinned.

"That's not what you came here for was it," He laughed. Nida numbly shook his head. "Well, do you still want the position?"

"Yes Sir!"

Cid smiled. "Good. Now let's get back to this custody issue you originally came here about. Did you need papers or what?"

"I don't really know Sir. I just don't want her to supply them and then there be some kind of loop hole I didn't know about."

Cid nodded. "Don't worry about that. I'll get that taken care of. I can have you a copy of the papers tomorrow after thirteen hundred hours."

"Thank you Sir."

Cid rose from his seat. "Come on," He waved Nida towards the doorway. "We have a lot of paperwork to start on to prepare for your sister's arrival and to finalize your promotion." Edea watched silently as the two men walked past her and out the front door.

------

The infirmary doors hissed open, revealing an empty room. Squall stepped inside quietly and looked around. He winced at the intensity in which the sunlight radiated off the white walls. Hastily, he pulled off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. Slowly sliding his glasses back on, he was relieved to find that the lenses had darkened and thus his pain subsided.

"Do you need something Commander?" Dr. Kadowaki asked as she came out of the storage room carrying a box of supplies. Squall looked down towards the floor as he shifted his weight over to his right him. Kadowaki watched as he placed his right hand on his hip and ran his left hand through his near shoulder length hair. She shrugged. "You came to me. I figured you had to need something or be looking for someone," She said as she sat her box on her desk.

"I need advice on something," He mumbled as he crossed his arms loosely across his chest. Dr. Kadowaki looked over at him in surprise.


	15. Chief and Commander

Disclaimer- You guys know the drill. I don't own the rights the characters or even the game. All I got is a cat and a dog I wish minded as well as Angelo...

Author's Notes- Once again I'm sorry for the delay. The day I had set aside to finish this chapter I ended up spending at the hospital while my father had a heart cath done. Thankfully everything turned out alright and I finally finished this chapter. Just keep in mind the differences between the spoken words "..." and thoughts '...'. Enjoy.

JadeAlmasy - The world's gonna end! Haha. Sorry that this was as soon as I could update.

Rune - As always, thanks. You have no idea how much I appreciate your review.

Sulou - Yeah there was a little miscommunication in that chapter. Cid's obviously oblivious to Nida's issues and Squall just didn't know what to do about them. But what can Squall do? Especially when Nida's present when he finds out? lol Thanks for the review.

**Cheif and Commander**

The infirmary had grown eerily quiet as Dr. Kadowaki looked at him expectantly. Squall loosely crossed his arms and looked down to the ground.

"Squall?" Dr. Kadowaki asked.

He gave her a quick glance out of the corner of his eye before finally looking up.

"I can't read your mind," She said.

'Its not really my business,' Squall thought to himself. '...unless it interferes with Garden...Why do I even have to worry about this?' "I have this friend," He finally spoke. 'Friend...now she'll probably think its some problem I'm having...' "He's going through a depression. At least I think he is. I don't know," Squall looked back to the floor.

"Squall what's bothering you?" Kadowaki asked. "Is there something that you need to sit down and talk about?"

He let his shoulders slump. 'I knew it,' He thought to himself. 'She thinks I'm the one with the problem.' "No...I'm fine."

Dr. Kadowaki nodded but eyed him suspiciously. "So this friend of yours, is an actual person aside from yourself."

"Yes," Squall answered. 'This is getting me nowhere...'

"I see," Kadowaki nodded. "So what's making this friend so depressed, as you put it."

Squall sighed in annoyance. "His guardian, I mean step-mother," He corrected himself.

"Its not uncommon for teenagers to have problems communicating with their parents," She suggested. "Especially if there is a lot of distance between the parent and child, or if they have just become acquainted with one another."

Squall shook his head. "This isn't about me," He protested. Above them, the intercom crackled to life.

"Would Commander Loire please come to his office please. Commander Loire come to your office."

"Sounds like the headmaster's looking for you," Kadowaki stated the obvious. Squall nodded and turned to leave. "Squall."

"What?" He stopped walking.

"If you need to talk some more you can come back."

Squall only nodded as he stepped out into the hallway. Once he'd reached his office on the third floor, he walked quietly inside. On the far wall, he found Cid fumbling with the controls of the copy machine.

"I hope I wasn't interrupting anything," Cid said as he smacked the top of the machine.

"Did you need something?" Squall asked as he sat on the corner of his desk.

"Yes," Cid answered as he waited impatiently for the copied papers. "I'm going to be visiting Galbadia Garden tomorrow." Squall looked up at his comment. "The council's decided to permanently revoke Martine's status which is further hindering Galbadia from becoming functional again." Cid walked out into the lounge, leaving Squall behind. "I want you to understand that it is with great hesitancy that I leave but I believe that you're more than capable of running this Garden."

Squall stood up and followed him to the lift. "How long will you be gone?"

"I'm not sure," Cid admitted.

Squall narrowed his eyes in confusion.

"I'm going to be Galbadia's temporary Headmaster," Cid admitted. "I'll be gone at least a month."

"This is unexpected," Squall stated. 'He's going to leave me here to run this place by myself?'

"Indeed it is," Cid shrugged. "I just got a call from the Galbadian Council."

"I thought you were planning on taking lighter duties up until you decided to retire."

"I was," Cid said. "But Edea and I have been talking and we're going to reopen the orphanage in Centra. We need a substantial amount of Gil to do that. You understand."

"The money factor," Squall stated.

Cid looked at him in disbelief. "I need your support on this, if you don't mind. They're offering me a very generous amount of Gil to do this. There's nothing shady or underhanded going on here. Once this job is done, I'll come back here for a short spell and then I'm going to retire."

"Squall?"

"What about this Garden?"

"This Garden has a Commander," Cid smiled. "A very capable Commander at that. I have the utmost faith in you."

Squall looked toward the ground. 'So you're leaving me with this Fisherman's Horizon problem. I never even wanted this job!' His mind screamed.

"What?" Cid asked.

"...Nothing."

Cid paused and then smiled and slapped him on the shoulder. "You'll be fine," He assured him. "Besides, I've already taken care of our little engineering vacancy and in just a few minutes we'll be meeting with Seifer and Quistis to see if they took care of our little problem with Mayor Dobe."

"Our little engineering vacancy?" Squall asked as Cid pressed the button for the lift to start.

"Yes," Cid smiled. "I supported you when you were first promoted. Now all I ask is that you support Mr. Roe in his new position."

Squall looked over to Cid in surprise. 'He didn't...'

"That boy'll make a good engineer. Its time I stop harboring his shy tendencies and give him some responsibilities. You'll see, he's qualified for the job." The lift came to a stop on the bridge as Cid stopped talking. "Next week he begins training with our Estharian engineers." Squall watched him as he handed his handful of papers to Nida. "Give me the intercom," Cid said to Xu.

"Yes Sir," She replied as she flipped a few switches. Squall watched numbly as Cid leaned down towards the microphone.

"I'd like to have everyone's attention please," Cid spoke excitedly. "This is your headmaster speaking. I have two announcements to make." He waved Squall closer. Squall remained where he stood and only reluctantly moved foreword when Xu gave him a playful push. "First of all, I have chosen to name Nida Roe as Balamb Garden's new Chief Engineer. I'm sure that he will prove himself to be very capable and very worthy of this position."

'What happened to us deciding on that promotion together?' Squall wondered. 'Whatever.'

"Secondly, its my pleasure to announce that Commander Loire will become Balamb Garden's headmaster and chief authority for her on out. We already know that the Commander knows how to run and manage Balamb Garden, even in times of war. Now all I ask is that everyone shows him their support and confidence in my absence. I wouldn't have appointed him to this position if I felt he wasn't fit for the job," Cid switched off the intercom and turned to Squall and Nida. "You call me if for any reason something else comes up while you're getting these papers signed," He said to Nida. "And Squall, call me if you have any questions or problems," Cid smiled.

"I will Sir. Thank you Sir," Nida answered with a smile.

"..." Squall crossed his arms and looked away.

Cid chuckled as he slapped Squall on the shoulder again. "You'll do a fine job."

* * *

At the far end of the training center in the secret area, a congregation was gathering. Candidates and SeeDs alike came silently and almost unnoticed by the center's actual users. The crowd filled the secret area and overflowed into the center outside. Everyone was silent. Everyone save for a pair of disgruntled trainers.

"What's going on here?" The first SeeD asked.

"Where are we supposed to go to rest?" Her sister demanded. The crowd slowly turned their attention to her. She shrank back under their gazes.

"Go out into the hallway. There's a bench somewhere," A woman from the crowd spoke.

"What are all of you doing here?" The first SeeD spoke up again.

"What's it look like? We're having a meeting," Another member of the crowd said. "Are either of you treppies?" Both SeeDs shook their head. "Then leave us!" The first SeeD started to say something but her sister stopped her.

"Deanna no," She whispered. "The entire area's full of them. Let's just go."

"Psh," Deanna pulled her arm free of her sister's grasp. "Damn treppies, if there weren't so many of them I'd take them on."

"Let's just go."

"Krysta you're such a wuss," Deanna complained as she lead the way to the front of the training center.

With that small disturbance settled and done with, the gathering proceeded. Treppie 8 stood up on a bench and whistled. All eyes fell on him as he waited for complete silence. He took a deep breath. Every treppie in the vicinity seemed to manage to scoot just a little closer.

"We are all here for the same reason," He started. "We all recognize the prodigy that is Instructor Quistis Trepe. We all see the strength and beauty, the brilliance she's commanded both in the classroom and on the battle field. We are her followers and she is our Queen. This is how it has always been...until now. The attention we've so long sought from her has been snatched from us by an outsider. He has no right to interfere. He has no right by our Queen's side. He's no where near as smart as she is, he hasn't her charisma or worth."

"What should we do?" Treppie 45 called out from the middle of the crowd.

"We should do nothing!" Treppie 36 shouted.

"You can't be serious," 8 stared at 36 in disbelief as she too climbed up on a bench and addressed the gathering.

"I've never been more serious," She answered him.

"You haven't got a problem with this SeeD she's seeing?" He asked. The crowd called out in agreement with him.

Treppie 36 rolled her eyes. "Listen to yourselves! Have you no mind of your own? He tells you this guy, this outsider is stealing our Queen's attention. He says he's not worthy. I say he's jealous!" She pointed an accusing finger in Treppie 8's direction. "Let's face it, all of us would love for her to devote just a few minutes of her time to talk to us or praise us or anything. But she has chosen this SeeD! She is romantically involved with him!" The entire congregation gasped in unison.

"Did you hear that? Romantically involved!" 8 shouted. "What happens when in six months they decide to marry and she leaves Garden? What happens then!" He turned his attention back to 36.

"We go on with life," Treppie 36 spat. "She is our Queen. And I am just as loyal as all of you. But take a step back and think about this. Quistis is a fairy tale. She's brilliant, beautiful, strong, charismatic, she's perfect. She's the most amazing force any of us have ever encountered and so we follow her willingly. We idolize her so much that we can't see that she's human just like the rest of us. Take a step back and see the reality of our Queen that has attended almost every dance in the past four years dateless. The Queen that fights off the overbearing jerks that come calling on her. The Queen that is always alone. He hasn't even provided any evidence that would justify ruining her relationship with Mr. Roe."

"Mr. Roe?" A voice from the side asked.

She nodded.

"Nida Roe?"

"Are you going somewhere with this?"

"She chose Nida Roe over us?" He questioned.

She sighed. "Its becoming apparent that the male population of this group is just jealous. All of you! Did you not hear the announcement this morning?" 36 demanded as she looked over the crowd. "Not only is he artistically and creatively gifted, but apparently he is also mechanically," She sent a stern gaze over to treppie 8. "He's not eighteen and he's Balamb Garden's Chief Engineer! He may not be a genius by Kyle's standards, but he's obviously pretty smart."

"He's pretty cute too," Treppie 22 added. "Have you guys seen him?"

The crowd began debating the topic amongst themselves. Both 8 and 36 remained silent as they listened.

"What's there to discuss?" Treppie 14 stood up on the same bench with 36 and shouted. Everyone quieted after a moment. "I've been keeping an eye on him for a while now. He's good to her," He grinned. "His whole world revolves around her. He may not have officially joined our organization, but he is most definitely a treppie just like the rest of us. It is our duty to help and support him in any way that we can! Our Queen's happiness depends on it."

"I say we vote on it!" Treppie 8 shouted.

"Fine!" 14 agreed. "No Queen should be without a king!" He forced his fist up in the air. Treppie 8 watched numbly as the crowd shouted and cheered. "All those in favor of helping create the royal family say aye!" The response was a deafening cry of concur that could be heard faintly in the main hall outside.

Treppie 36 shot 8 a grin. "Better luck next time Kyle." He ignored her comment and crossed his arms.

* * *

In the main conference room, Seifer and Quistis reported their mission's details. Squall and Xu listened from their seats across the table.

"So how'd it go?" Xu asked.

Quistis frowned. "Not much better than last time. Shouldn't we be waiting for Cid?"

"Cid's not going to be here," Squall answered.

"Why?"

"He's transferring to Galbadia Garden for a few months. Squall's in charge now," Xu explained as she leaned on the table before her.

"Great," Seifer mumbled under his breath. Quistis elbowed him in the ribs.

Quistis looked up at Squall. "Really?"

Squall disregarded Seifer's comment and nodded to Quistis. "Can you continue you're report?"

"He didn't take it too well," Seifer laughed as he fell back in one of the chairs and kicked his feet up on the table.

Squall leaned forward on the table and raised an eyebrow. "Care to elaborate?"

Seifer rolled his eyes. "He got all ticked. His face turned redder than the raggedy outfit he was wearing."

"He didn't believe us at first," Quistis added. "He thought we were joking."

Xu leaned back in her chair. "He got ticked, as Seifer put it, when he realized you were serious?"

"Let's just say he isn't as peace-like and friendly as he likes to pretend to be," Seifer responded.

"He assured us that all of his engineers would be gone within the hour and then he dismissed us," Quistis crossed her arms.

"Dismissed you?" Xu asked as she looked over to where Squall sat beside her.

"Yeah, he said something along the lines of leave now," Seifer answered.

"That's not very diplomatic," Xu watched as Squall stood up and leaned against the conference table.

"Did he do anything to promote that kind of response?" Squall asked.

"Hey!" Seifer quickly rose from his seat in defense.

"Don't!" Quistis held up her hand to silence him. He narrowed his eyes at her and she returned the glare. Squall cleared his throat. Xu watched the situation with interest. "For once, Seifer actually did everything he was ordered and actually held up Balamb Garden's dignity during the brief talks. If either of us provoked him it was me." Seifer and Squall both looked at Quistis in surprise.

"So what did you say?" Xu asked as she chewed on the end of her pen.

"I merely defended the curriculum that I teach everyday and he took it personal, I guess," Quistis shrugged.

"And Seifer said nothing the entire time?" Squall asked.

"You got a real problem with me don't you," Seifer snapped.

"Quiet!" Quistis hissed through her teeth.

"I'm not going to just take this from him!"

"Given your record he's in the right to be suspicious of your behavior," Quistis argued. "Oh don't worry Squall, he spoke. He complained about Mayor Dobe the entire way there." She grinned. "We both did. The conditions there are even worse than the last time any of us set foot there. Its detestable. But once we were with the Mayor, Seifer attempted to make a mild joke about his bad knee being why he couldn't sit on the floor."

"You don't have a bad knee," Xu looked at Seifer.

"True," He agreed. "But Dobe didn't know that."

Squall shook his head.

"What?" Seifer asked.

"Cid said something about Nida leaving for Dollet in two days. I'm getting ready to give the order to move Garden to Timber. Is there any other place that needs our presence?" He looked from Quistis to Xu.

"Not unless Cid has some rendezvous with someone he hasn't told us about," Quistis answered.

"The only rendezvous Cid has is with the Galbadian Garden tomorrow morning at eight a.m."

"When did he decide to do this?" Seifer asked.

"Apparently this morning," Squall answered. "Seifer, Quistis, thanks for upholding Garden's integrity today. You're dismissed." He watched as they both quickly saluted and then returned the salute himself. Quistis walked past him but Seifer paused.

"So you're Headmaster Loire now?" He grimaced.

Squall shuddered involuntarily. "I hate that title."

"Which is why the commanding position of Balamb Garden has appropriately become Commander," Xu added and then followed Quistis out of the conference room.

In the third floor lobby...

"Squall got his promotion but what about Nida?" Quistis asked as she pressed the button for the elevator. .

"You know the risks Squall had to weigh. It was his job," Xu whispered.

"I know," Quistis answered as stepped inside the elevator.

"And did you hear the news?"

"What news?"

"Balamb Garden got its head engineer."

Quistis looked up quickly. "Did he?"

Xu grinned broadly. "He made chief!"


	16. Coming Clean

Disclaimer- You guys should already know that I don't own Squaresoft or any aspect of Final Fantasy VIII. I do however have _two_ cats now.

Author's Notes- I would like to apologize to all of my readers that are still following this story. I lost the original version of this chapter when my old computer finally quit working. Then I had to wait a few weeks to get a new computer and then try to retype this chapter from memory. While trying to do that, I hit a massive writer's block that I've only just now been able to overcome. I probably could've had this chapter out a few weeks ago except that things have gotten really hectic here in the past few months with planning for my wedding and my husband preparing to get deployed. If any of you out there are still reading my story I appreciate it. For any of you still **_reading and reviewing, _**I love you!

Coming Clean

The sunlight poured through the cafeteria windows, intensely lighting everything in the large room. Off at a table on the side, Nida played with the napkin holder. He watched as it reflected the sunlight onto the ceiling above. Out of the corner of his eye he caught one of the lunch ladies watching him. Subtly shifting the light weight metal container in his hands, he reflected the bright light in her direction. He watched as she watched it dance on the wall behind her. She shook her head and sighed. He grinned and then placed the holder back on the table top. Leaning forward against the table, he studied his reflection on the holder's side. Resting his cheek on his hand, he crinkled his nose at his reflection.

"You look fine kiddo," The lunch lady's voice startled him. He looked up at her and the styrofoam cup she held.

He shrugged.

"Is this going to be one of those days where I have to let you complain about your appearance so I can disagree and say nice things to rebuild you're self-esteem?"

He laughed. "No," He said as he rested on his elbows. "I was just debating over whether or not my spikes were too much."

She rolled her eyes. "Nida, I've known you since you were thirteen. For five years your hair has always been brushed to one side or the other. Trust me, it looks good," She said as she sat the cup down. Nida looked down at the cup curiously. "You know what it is," She smiled.

"Roasted hazelnut with one scoop of creamer and three of sugar?"

"Nida, you've ordered the same cup of coffee for the past four months."

He grinned as he dug in his pocket.

"Don't bother," She stopped him. "On the house...consider it an early birthday present if you will."

"How did you know?"

"Thanks to Instructor Trepe's following, everyone knows about you. Good luck tomorrow," She said as she walked away.

Left alone, Nida ran his fingertips along the rim of the cup. The door across the room slid open and Quistis walked into the room. He watched as she joined the breakfast line. A smile crossed his face as he watched her pull her glasses off. Picking up his coffee, he took a tentative sip, testing the liquid's temperature. When he looked back up to see where Quistis was, his eyes were met by an ocean of navy blue. He jumped in surprise and looked at the two candidates blocking his view.

"You seem to be fairly harmless and admirable," The male spoke. "While it wasn't unanimous, you seem to have won enough of us over." Nida stared at the boy in confusion.

"What?"

"You two make a good couple. If there's anything you ever need help with you can ask any one of us," The girl gave a stern glance to the boy beside her and then handed Nida a napkin to wipe up his spilled coffee.

"Umm, okay," Nida answered unsurely as he carefully took the napkin from her hand.

"But if you ever hurt her, don't count on ever seeing the light of another day," His threat was silenced by his companion's hand. She rolled her eyes playfully.

"He's just jealous of you," She assured Nida. "But in all seriousness, if you hurt her, there will be pain. Lots of pain." Nida cleared his throat and tugged at his shirt collar. She stole a quick glance over her shoulder. "Remember, if you need anything at all just ask," She smiled as she grabbed her partner's arm and dragged him away hastily.

Nida watched them leave as he sat the tainted napkin aside and sipped his coffee.

"What was that about?" Quistis asked as she sat down across from him.

"Uhh...I'm not really sure," He grinned. "I think they like me."

She sent a skeptical glance in their direction and shook her head. "They give you any trouble let me know."

He nodded in acknowledgement.

"Um, I only have a few minutes, Cid's got me doing some kind of presentation and tour for some of his new business associates."

"Investors?" Nida asked.

Quistis nodded. "They seem to have a slightly less shady agenda than Norg did."

"That's always a good thing," Nida grinned.

Quistis smiled. "Yeah. I'd hate to have to snap my whip on one of them."

Nida raised an eyebrow.

Quistis rolled her eyes and chuckled lightly. "I'll see you a little later this evening."

"How much later?" He asked.

"I'm not really sure. I guess it'll depend on how demanding Cid's clients get," She shrugged.

"Alright," He answered.

"See you later," She said as she placed a hand on his cup of coffee to keep him from drinking from it. He looked at her questioningly until she leaned over the table and kissed him swiftly on the lips. He was left in a somewhat dumbfounded daze as he watched her leave the cafeteria. It wasn't until she'd long since stepped out into the main hall that he realized that he was now the center of attention. Feeling the discomfort of everyone's eyes resting on him, he quietly stood up and left the cafeteria as well.

That evening...

The moonlight filtered through his open window and doused the contents of his dorm room in a pale luminescent blue hue. Nida studied the lighting effect silently. Sitting on the cold tile floor, he leaned against his dresser and stretched his legs out. The tattered ends of his drop cloth felt rough under his bare feet. He leaned forward and bunched up the end of the cloth. Tilting his head to the side, he mentally traced the shape of the shadows the moonlight cast on it. After a few placid minutes, he slowly rose to his feet and walked around to the front of his easel. Carefully dipping the tip of his paintbrush in a jar of ink, he lightly pressed it to his canvas and dragged it in an exaggerated arc. He dabbed his brush on a paper towel and then ran his brush parallel to the line he'd already made.

He worked in a slightly interrupted silence. The bugs and small creatures in the forest outside sang him a sweet and soft lullaby as he continued his work. With a final touch of his brush, he stepped back and evaluated his creation. Another shadow fell across his floor, making his already dark room, darker. He looked up to the figure in the doorway and jumped in surprise. She stepped silently into his room, and shut the door behind her. Nida stepped quietly out from behind his easel.

"Hey," He said nervously.

"Hey," She responded as she placed her hand on the light switch. "Here come the lights," She warned. Nida grimaced as the room lit up a bright fluorescent white. When his eyes adjusted he saw Quistis grinning back at him. "What were you doing in here? Hiding in the dark?" She asked as she walked past him.

"No," He smiled uneasily. "I was looking at how the moonlight made the shadow's look...you know...for one of my paintings."

"This is me," She said softly. He spun around and winced when he saw her examining his latest work.

"Yeah," He answered guiltily. "Its actually ink, not paint...I hope you don't mind."

"What would I mind?" She asked. "I suppose I should be flattered that someone thought me interesting enough to put me on a canvas."

"You're beautiful."

She fell silent and looked down at the floor for a moment. "So are you," She looked up at him, a serious expression on her face. "You shouldn't be here. Why do you stay with Garden? And don't even let your answer contain the name Sarah."

Nida looked down to the floor and carefully crossed his arms across his chest. "Its my stability," He whispered. "Its always going to be here. So long as I'm a soldier I'll always have a bed to sleep in and food to eat...its my security."

Quistis' shoulders slumped.

"Why?"

She shrugged. "I was just curious." He fidgeted uncomfortably as she walked up to him. "Look at me," She stated. He silently did as he was told and tensed as she placed her hands on top of his. He watched her nervously as she ran her hands up onto his forearms and wrapped her thin fingers loosely around his wrists. "What's the matter?"

"N-Nothing," He answered as he weakly tried to pull his arms from her grasp. An expression, somewhere crossed between hurt and worry crossed her face as she tightened her hold on his wrists and then willfully turned them over. Nida looked immediately to the ground, avoiding all eye contact with her. Quistis stared at the marks that laced the underside of his forearms until he managed to pull himself free of her grasp.

"Nida, why do you do this!" She asked in a half-panicked tone. He shook his head as he tightly crossed his arms.

"I-I was hoping you wouldn't find out about this," He whispered.

"...Did you think that this was just something I wouldn't notice?" She asked.

"I don't know," He mumbled as he covered his face with his hands. "Please don't leave me," He whispered from beneath his hands.

She sighed as she grabbed his hands and pulled them down to his sides. "I'm..." She searched for the right words. "I'm not going anywhere, I'm just...afraid."

"Afraid?" He asked.

"Yes afraid!" She exclaimed. "You could kill yourself doing this!" She cried.

"I haven't done it in a while," His voice was barely audible. "Not since we've been, you know, dating and all."

Her gaze softened. "I just don't want anything to happen to you," She admitted as her eyes teared up.

"Please don't cry," He whispered as he wiped a tear from her cheek.

"Please don't cut yourself anymore," She said as she placed her hand over his, holding it to her cheek. "You're the only person in this Garden that makes me feel like someone special. After days like today, you're the only person keeping me here."

Pulling his hand out from under hers, he stepped forward and pulled her into a hug. Letting him just wrap his arms around her, Quistis allowed herself to fall against his chest and rest her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry," He spoke as he kissed the top of her head. "You're more than special to me...I...I um...I loveyouQuistis," He mumbled in a rushed and barely audible voice. She quickly pulled out of his embrace and looked up at him with tear stricken, surprised eyes.


	17. Breaking the Habit

Disclaimer- I in no way, shape or form claim any credit in the genius that it Final Fantasy VIII or the title to Linkin Park's song.

Author's notes- I'm sorry this chapter took so long. Things have been beyond crazy since my husband received his orders for deployment. All of my stories were put on hold for the summer while I helped him get things ready to go. I was also considering canceling this story, but then I got quite a few reviews and some encouragement when I needed it most, (you know who you are), and here's the next chapter. Thanks for all the support.

**Breaking the Habit**

"I love you," His words were mumbled and barely audible as he repeated himself. She pushed herself back from him and looked up at him indecisively. His chest tightened and his throat constricted as he waited for her response.

"How do you know..." She asked as she wrapped her arms around herself. "...if you _really_ love someone?" Nida's expression dimmed as he slowly sat down on the foot of his bed. "I mean, how do you know for sure?"

"How can you ask that?" He asked as he leaned his elbows on his knees and looked down at the floor.

"Because no one's ever said that to me before." He looked up at her quickly. "I just don't want to hear those words if they aren't sincere." At her words, he abruptly stood up and walked across the room to the window. "Nida. Look, I'm really sorry..." He shook his head to silence her.

"What I'm feeling is more than just a crush or attraction. When I say love I mean that when days pass by without me seeing you, it drives me crazy because I miss you. I would do and give anything for you. You have no idea the impact you have left on my life. Everything's been turned around and made better because of you...You're the one thing in my life that has ever gone right..."

Quistis just listened silently.

"You really don't know how important you are to me," He whispered. "You're my life," A nervous grin crept across his lips. "I think about all the problems that I've had with my step mom and I can't help but shake my head in disgust because I know that I could do a better job with a family than she ever attempted to do. I think about how my life may have been different, had my dad not died or my step mom not changed, but I can't honestly say I'd want it to be that way," He grew silent. "If these things hadn't happened then I wouldn't have ever joined SeeD or met you. I'm sorry if this is putting you on the spot or making you uncomfortable. I just want you to know that you're the world to me. And that when I picture myself in the future, I'm always by your side, because that's how it should be."

After a brief awkward silence, Quistis smiled. "Of all the things people have said to me, no one's ever said anything like that."

"That's a good thing...right?" He dared to smile.

"Yeah," She covered her mouth and then began to cry.

"No no! Don't cry," Nida pleaded as he wiped away her tears. "Those words were not meant to evoke tears." She laughed as she gently placed her hands on his chest and slid them up on his shoulders.

"I'm sorry," She sniffed.

"Don't be," He whispered.

She smiled as she found her way to the foot of his bed and sat down. He watched as she nervously tried to flatten out the wrinkles in her skirt. "Nida...I can honestly say that no one has ever made me feel like you do," She paused and then smiled. "I honestly don't know why I'm skirting around what I know you're hoping I'd say. Considering your confession, I don't honestly think I'm going to scare you off or anything."

"What do you think I'm wanting you to say?" He asked in a half playful tone as he sat down next to her.

"That I love you too," She answered.

His face paled and he looked nervously down. "Do you? I mean if you don't or if this is too sudden or..."

"Shh," She silenced him. "You worry too much." He shrugged weakly. A smile spread across her lips. "Nida, I want you to know that I love you too."

"Really?" He asked in a stupor.

"Did you want it to be one sided or something?" Quistis teased.

"No, I guess not," He answered.

"Nida?" She asked.

"Hmm?"

"Where's your knife?"

"My what?" He asked.

"Whatever it is that you used on your wrists."

"Oh," His mood darkened. "Its uh...under my mattress."

"I want it," She told him.

"Why?"

"Because you won't ever have a reason to use it again." He looked towards his mattress a bit reluctantly. "Come on," She urged him. "Just give me whatever it is and let's break this habit."

"Alright," He spoke faintly as he rose and walked around his bed. She watched him silently as he slid his hand underneath the mattress and pulled out a small blade. "Here it is..." His voice was barely audible as he carefully handed her his weapon of self destruction. She gingerly took if from his hand and put it away in her purse.

"You're gonna break this habit...starting tonight," She reassured him as she took his hand and pulled him to a sitting position beside her. "I promise."

* * *

In an apartment on the second floor, Rinoa watched as Squall stared at the finish on his desk. He rested his forehead on his palms and sat silently. From her seat on their couch she finally spoke up.

"What's bothering you?" She saw what looked like a weak shrug. "Talk to me," She said as she came across the room and knelt beside his chair. "Look at me."

He slowly tilted his head to face her.

"I'm stressed," He confessed and then continued staring a hole through his desk.

"That I can see," She said as she stood and lightly massaged his shoulders. "But over what?"

"This whole engineer situation we're having with Mayor Dobe."

"Its not a situation, its already been remedied."

"But something could go wrong and I don't know if all of Garden's engineers are ready. We could be sitting ducks."

"Things will be okay. Nida and his teams were trained and are qualified." Squall sighed and walked across the room. Rinoa watched him curiously as he stared out the window. "This isn't about the engineers is it," She stated rather than asked.

He shook his head.

"What is it then?"

"'Its...", He paused. "Nevermind."

"Don't nevermind me, what's wrong?" She asked as she continued to watch him.

"How do you stand living here? You don't even like fighting and yet you're married to the Commander of the strongest Garden in the world. I go to work every day and send out and control my armies while you're left behind to sit in an apartment by yourself until I get back."

"I'm not completely alone..."

"A dog and an infant don't count Rin," He said as he placed his palm on the glass in front of him. "You have to be miserable."

"No I'm not, but you want out," Rin stated. He leaned his forehead on the glass.

"I never wanted in."

"What do you want?"

"...People to stop looking to me for answers. I never wanted to be a hero...well maybe your hero, but not the world's. And I never wanted to be Commander."

"Then resign."

"Where will we go what will we do? I want out but I haven't a clue what I want after that. I don't know where to go or how to support you. Besides, I can't leave Garden as vulnerable as it is. I mean if I'm not in control and someone else takes over, do you realize the havoc that could result? The people that could die?"

"I understand. That's a great responsibility, and you're a great Commander for realizing the possible consequences for your actions. Cid was right to make you Commander, but if you're not happy," She whispered as she placed a hand on the base of his back. "Do what you feel you need to do. If you decide you want to leave, we'll stay with my father until we get on our feet, if you want to stay...well we'll just stay then." He smiled at her.

* * *

"So you like Winhill? I figured you'd move back to Dollet if you ever got out of SeeD," Quistis spoke as she leaned against Nida's chest.

"Dollet has too many complications. Old memories, bad relations, and more than likely an entire city of people who know my life's story. I'd rather not even have to deal with it."

"Hmm...", She mused to herself.

"What?" He asked as he stopped stroking her hair and let his hand rest on her shoulder.

"Nothing."

"You realize there's nothing that can physically keep either of us here," He told her. "I mean Cid doesn't even have you in a binding contract and well me... Cid probably won't realize I'm gone," He laughed.

"True," She smiled. "But I can't do anything that spontaneous. I have to have some kind of plan."

"Fine, the next time one of the education board members threatens to revoke you license or Cid pushes one of his jobs off on you, quit."

"Quit?" She asked. "Are you trying to give me advice?"

"I'm giving you a plan."

"So I should just quit?"

"Pretty much," He said as he let his head fall back against his pillow and stretched his legs out.

"You have a very interesting way of planning things," She said as she ran her finger down across his chest.

"Very simplistic isn't it," he grinned triumphantly.

"Very," She agreed.

"I can alter the plan if you want."

"No its fine."

"Good," He smirked as he intertwined his fingers in hers and raised both of their hands above his head. With her arms being pulled so far from the rest of her body, she found herself falling slowly down onto his chest.

"So just what are you planning on doing?" She asked.

"Shh," He silenced her quickly. "I haven't got a plan."

She grinned and pulled her hands free of his. Sitting up on her knees, she waited for him to try to sit up and then pushed him back onto his pillows. A slightly confused expression crossed his face as he stared up at her expectantly.

"Is there anything that we could do tonight that you may regret in the morning?" She asked as she let her hair down. Nida watched as her golden blonde hair tumbled down her shoulders and fell on both sides of her face.

"Um..."He responded as he reached up and ran his fingers through her hair. "There's um, n-nothing that I w-would regret," His voice came out nervous.

"Good," She smiled as she unzipped her boots and pulled each of them off easily. "I think its time I stop trying to be the Garden's perfect little prodigy and role model."

Nida remained silent as he watched her unzip her top. She paused him and eyed him suspiciously.

"You sure there's nothing that you would regret?"

"What are you really asking?" He asked with a mischievous grin.

"Shh," She mimicked him and then pressed her lips against his. He let her hold him there against his pillow as he nervously ran his hands along her sides until he found the loose material of her shirt. She raised up and let him pull it off her shoulders. Then in one quick movement, she climbed off of him so that he could move around. He let her shirt fall carelessly to the floor and then quickly did the same with his own.

His heart was racing as he leaned foreword and fumbled with the laces on his boots. He could hear her undressing behind him but his attention was focused solely on the laces his shaky fingers couldn't seem to untie.

"Here," Her voice was soft as she reached down and easily loosened his laces. He quickly kicked off his boots and then froze when he felt her skin touch his as she leaned up against his back and placed her hands on his shoulders. His eyes closed as she carefully massaged around the base of his neck.

"I just want you to know that I've never done anything that would lead up to anything remotely like this," He tried to warn her.

"Neither have I," She assured him as she watched him rid himself of the rest of his garments. She waited until he'd rejoined her in bed before she tried to kiss him again.

"No," He protested and pulled away from her hands.

"What's wrong?" She asked in her confusion.

"No offense, but I'd really like to be the one in control tonight."

"Oh really?" She asked in a breathless tone as she leaned back under his approaching form. "I would have never have imagined I'd see this side of you tonight."

"Quistis," He whispered.

"Hmm?" She asked as she ran her hands up and along the contours of his bare chest.

"Shh...", He said as he used the weight of his body to pin her against his mattress. His breath grew nervous and labored as he hesitated and then opted to claim her mouth with his. She moaned lightly under his lips and let out a nearly inaudible whine when he raised up on his elbows and broke the kiss. He closed his eyes and took one last breath.

"Nida!" She called out his name and firmly grabbed onto his arms as he slowly pushed her down into his pillows and bed sheets.


	18. Faint

Disclaimer: Who am I kidding. You guys know I don't own FF8.

Author's Notes: This chapter has been months in the making, but its finally complete. Over the course of the past few months I've rewritten the ending three times, and I think I've finally got it right. I sincerely hope it doesn't let anyone down. I put so much time and effort into making this seem believable and I think I've just about driven my personal editor, Ameli Stoncius, crazy.

Rubymuto- I tried to update as quickly as I could. I am sorry for how long it took.

JadeAlmasy- Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Aratcorien- I knew someone would compare the last chapter to one of my more innocent works. lol Yeah I reread some of my old stuff...my chapters have um...come a long way. Thanks as always for the thoughtful review.

Lady Deathstryke- Sorry I couldn't produce an update in two days...or err...two months...but the outcome of this story has shifted three times and it took extra time to write out.

rune- Thanks for the good wishes, and as far as his deployment goes, I just have to try and take it one day at a time. Sometimes it gets hard, but oh well its almost over...sorta.

Verdanii- Thanks, as always.

* * *

**Faint**

Quistis sighed softly as she snuggled into her pillow. Slightly awake and yet still somewhat asleep, she was vaguely aware of the crickets singing a soft lullaby outside the open window. The cool night air held a bit of a chill and she shivered because of it. She reached for her sheet and paused when her hand came across that of another. After a few moments, she remembered the previous night's happenings and then reached past his hand to the sheet. He groaned from behind her as he shifted a little behind her and then bumped his head into hers.

"Sorry," He whispered as he grabbed the sheet she'd been reaching for and pulled it higher. "I'm not used to sharing a bed."

"Doesn't matter," She said as she turned over to face him. "A bed this small wasn't really meant for sharing. I'm glad you are though."

Even in the darkness proceeding dawn she could still see the smile on his face. "It was my pleasure," He whispered as he pulled the sheet up over her shoulders. She smiled in response and watched as his dark eyes slowly drifted shut and he slipped back into a light sleep. Quistis watched him for a moment and then lightly kissed his forehead. She watched him stir and then settle back into his sleep. Outside the window, the crickets continued their serenade. She let her eyes close, and after a few minutes of listening to their performance, she fell asleep herself.

The tranquility of the morning was shattered by the shrill buzzing of an alarm clock. Groaning, Quistis rolled over and swatted for the snooze button. "Shut up," She mumbled as she reached out for the offensive time piece. After what seemed like a deafening eternity, her hand found the clock and then just as quickly knocked it off the nightstand. She grumbled some more and then shrieked when she realized she was sliding off the edge of the bed. A strong arm caught her around the waist, thus preventing her fall. She jumped in surprise and looked over her shoulder at her rescuer.

"Morning Sunshine," He grinned. She smiled faintly and then buried her head under his pillow. "Not a morning person are we?" A playful tone crept into Nida's voice.

"Not exactly," Her voice was muffled by the over-stuffed pillow.

"What'd you say?" He teased as he pulled at the pillow.

"Make it stop!" She laughed as she held onto the sack of feathers for dear life. Nida sighed loudly and then got out of bed. He scooped up the small clock and shut it off. She watched him from under the edge of the pillow as he placed the clock back on the night stand and began fumbling through the drawers of his dresser. "Where are you going?" She asked as she set the pillow aside.

"I have to be in Dollet in two hours," He explained as he pulled on a pair of pants over his boxers.

"Oh."

His shoulders slumped. "I'm sorry I have to go," He said as he knelt down beside the bed.

"Don't be sorry," Quistis assured him. "You need to be there."

"Yeah," He said more to himself than her. "...I feel like I'm runnin' out on you."

Quistis laughed and then lay back down.

"What?"

"People say I'm complex."

"Yeah well...I was thinking that you'd at least want me to stick around a little bit after we..." He stopped when she placed her fingers over his mouth.

"You're not running out on me. You're taking care of your younger sister. Dollet's where you need to be this morning."

Nida nodded with a tinge of renewed confidence. "You're right," He agreed. Quistis got out of bed and watched as he finished dressing and fixed his hair. He picked up a key card off of his dresser and paused to look at her. "You can go back to sleep if you want." She nodded in appreciation and then reached out and pulled him into a hug. He held onto her for a few minutes before he let her pull away. "I love you," He whispered. "And I'll see you this afternoon."

"I love you too," She whispered as she watched him walk over to the door. He paused and played with the card in his hand.

"Quistis?" He asked. She looked at him expectantly. "You don't regret last night do you?"

She shook her head.

"Good," He smiled. She smiled back and then rolled her eyes.

"You're gonna be late."

"Right," He nodded. "I'm leaving now."

She waved playfully and watched as he closed the door behind him. Now alone, she wrapped her arms around herself and then paused to notice just how big his shirt was on her. She moaned and then fell back onto the bed. Pulling his sheets back over her body, she drifted off to sleep once again.

One hundred and fifty miles and two hours later, a black sedan pulled up to the first stoplight on the outskirts of Dollet. After the light changed, it slowly came around the corner and idly drove down the narrow cobblestone street. Of the few people awake and on the streets so early, only the elderly man sitting outside his grocery shop even paid the car any notice. He squinted as he tried to make out the seal on the car's door to no avail and then returned to his newspaper once the car had passed.

A few blocks away, Amira sat on her knees as she looked at the clutter that was her closet. The morning was still cool but very humid. It was an odd combination that seemed to contribute to the stuffiness inside her bedroom walls. Standing up, she took a photo album off one of the top shelves. Falling back to her knees, she laid the book on the floor in front of her. She traced the book's edges with her fingertips and took a ragged breath.

"Amira! Have you finished packing?" Sarah called from downstairs.

"I'm almost done," She called back.

"Hurry up, your brother will be here anytime."

Amira didn't respond. She just slowly opened her album to a page in the middle. Gazing fondly at an old family photo, she blinked back a few tears. Outside the window, the light purr of a well maintenanced automobile grew louder. She unconsciously held her breath and listened until she heard tires roll over the loose gravel and grit on the edge of the road. When the engine's purring was cut off, she flew to her feet and nearly stumbled into the open window.

She stared down at the black sedan apprehensively. Stepping back away from the window, she looked around at her room and then the empty suitcase on her bed. Quickly opening her dresser she grabbed an armful of clothes and stuffed them in her suitcase. She paused and looked down at the book on the floor. She chewed on her lip nervously as she gave the open window another glance.

"Amira! I believe that's his car outside," Sarah called from the base of the staircase.

"It is," Amira answered as she found her feet and walked over to her bedroom doorway. Casting yet another woeful glance at the window, she then looked down at the floor.

"Ami Darling," Her mother's words caught her off guard. "You don't have to leave if you don't want to." Amira stared at her motionless as her face grew hot and the tears threatened to fall. A car door outside reminded her of where she was, and she abruptly turned and went back into her room. Now, out of Sarah's line of sight, she closed her eyes.

Leaning up against the black sedan, Nida stared up at the old house silently. Around it, the trees and shrubs grew rampant. Some of the landscaping even managed to spill over onto the front walkway. Whether it was growing wild or purposely planted there he wasn't sure. Whichever it was, it looked good.

A soft smile crossed his face as he remembered the years when he used to pretend he was braving the Centran jungle in this yard. He'd had Amira hide, and then he and their old hound would play search and rescue to find her.

Feeling a bit more comfortable, he slowly walked up the sidewalk and stopped at the front porch. This would be it. He was at the front door and had only one of two choices now; knock or stand there like a fool. He raised his hand, but before he could act, Sarah pushed the door open and looked at him expectantly.

He nodded awkwardly and followed her inside. The entire house was deathly silent, almost as if it were a sentient being, holding its breath and waiting for the inevitable to happen. The thought alone sent chills up Nida's spine as he watched Sarah walk into the kitchen.

He swallowed nervously as he took a step to follow after her. He paused for a moment and studied the room around him. It would more than likely be the last time he'd ever get to see it again. That thought was more than saddening. He had grown up here. The plastered walls, stone floors and the hand carved fireplace mantel seemed to engulf him. He was sure there was some sort of irony at work, because it was these very same familiar surroundings that seemed almost foreign to him.

This was the house he'd been born in. This was the house he'd learned never to try to knock a nail through century old plaster, and that cold stone floors were more than a match for even the warmest of winter socks. Forgetting why he was there, he walked over to the fireplace and placed his hand on the oak mantle. He closed his eyes as he remembered the night he'd learned the dangers of old fireplaces. His mind was just beginning to recall the rampant flames that had engulfed the chimney when he was interrupted by a cold voice.

"I would appreciate it if you would hurry up. You're already 45 minutes late as it is."

"Sorry Sarah," He responded in a daze. She waved her hand in dismissal and then led him into the kitchen. She took a seat at the table and waited for him to join her. Instead of sitting, Nida fidgeted uneasily as he looked around the dimly lit room. It was still very early, and the sun's rays wouldn't even begin to start creeping through the kitchen windows for at least another hour.

"Have you brought all the necessary forms?" Sarah asked, growing tired of his hesitation.

"I have all the papers right here," He answered as he fumbled with the folder in his hands. She watched him over her coffee cup. "I um, got these from Headmaster Cid. He and his wife used to run an orphanage in..."

"In Centra," Sarah finished for him.

He stared at her quizzically. "How could you know that?" Sarah didn't speak. Instead she resolved to study him over her coffee mug. "Sarah?"

"I'd contacted Mr. Kramer about his orphanage once, but by that time he'd already abandoned it," She answered.

"What?" Nida asked in a hushed tone. "You were actually going to give me away?"

"Don't give me that," Sarah said as she sat down her mug. "You didn't want to be a part of this family."

"You didn't want me in your family," His voice took on an uncharacteristically sharp tone.

"That is nothing more than the delusions of a troubled youth," She commented. "And you will not speak to me with an edge to your voice."

Nida started to look away but stopped. "Troubled youth?" He asked. "Do you even remember what I was going through?" He half laughed.

"Do you honestly think I could forget?"

"Sometimes I wonder."

Sarah placed her hands on her hips. "For you to be as intelligent and well grounded as you are, you sure are spoiled and self deceptive!"

"Right, I'm spoiled," He absent-mindedly played with the folder in his hands. "I don't know how the hell I managed it, but I came out spoiled. Look Sarah, I didn't come here to talk, fight or even mend fences. I'm here for Ami. Once I've got her I'm gone."

"To be such a gentlemen with the ladies you can be such and in grateful asshole!" Sarah shouted as she tore the folder from his hands. He cringed as the papers slit open his fingers. She paused and watched him for a moment as he examined his hands.

"I'm not trying to be," He grimaced as he studied his fingers. "You're just so frustrating and difficult."

"I don't recall you thinking that when I defended you against your first and second grade teachers. I don't recall you thinking that when I interfered between you and your father and got you out of many punishments you more than likely deserved. And I'll have you know that I never had the intentions of leaving you at an orphanage. I had planned on taking you out to one in hopes of making you realize how good you had it."

Nida didn't speak.

"You've allowed yourself to believe some silly childhood delusion for so long that its corrupted any memory you may have had of us being a family."

"Right, Sarah. I'm just some misguided product of a delusioned childhood. Newsflash Sarah, you sent me away to military school!"

"Because I couldn't control you!" She shouted.

"Because you didn't try!" He shouted back.

His insolence was swiftly rewarded when she dropped the folder on the table and slapped the side of his face. He jumped and stepped back in shock. For a few very tense seconds neither one of them spoke. "I told you not to take that tone with me," She warned him. He looked down to avoid catching her gaze and settled for examining his hands. He grimaced once again as he noticed the small traces of blood that ran between the lines on his palms. "You were an uncontrollable, spoiled delinquent Nida. Once your father was gone there was no controlling you. If you can't see that, or are too ashamed to, I can't help that."

Nida didn't speak, but the expression on his face said that her comment had struck a nerve. Carefully sitting back in her chair, she slowly opened the folder.

"Part of me didn't really believe you'd show up here today."

"You were wrong."

"Indeed," She spoke as she picked up a pen. "Go call your sister. I'll be done by the time you get back."

"Good."

Sarah watched silently as he walked out of the room and into the hallway.

The burn from Sarah's hand seemed to linger on his cheek like the sting of the jellyfish he'd received when he was eight. He looked up the staircase he was to climb and then back towards the kitchen where he could hear Sarah flipping through papers. Slowly climbing the steps, the traditionalist in him wanted her to send him away without his sister. He wanted her to want to keep her child.

As his luck would have it, he reached the top of the stairwell and still hadn't heard another word from her. Looking around, he found the door to the bathroom wide open. Stepping inside, he turned on the lights and examined his cheek in the mirror.

There was barely a red mark to be seen. He winced as he touched the area with his fingertips and paused when he saw Amira's reflection in the mirror. Letting his hand fall from his face, he turned to face his sister who stood silently in her bedroom doorway.

He realized in that instant how easy it was for him to forget how young she really was. She was taller and more developed than her 13 year old peers. She was intelligent too. Sometimes when he talked to her it was like talking to someone his own age if not older. A pang of guilt washed over him as he stared at her in the doorway. She'd been crying, her red, puffy face betrayed her normally headstrong and determined demeanor. She looked pitiful and because of it, he felt guilty as sin.

She wordlessly motioned for him to follow her back into her room. He silently obeyed and watched as she climbed up onto her bed and pulled a stuffed animal into her lap.

"Ami, what's wrong?" He asked as he sat down beside her. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but then closed it again. Nida looked down at the floor. "This is almost over with," He whispered. At his words, the tears began to run down her cheeks once more. "What's wrong?" He begged as he took hold of her chin and made a futile attempt to catch all her tears.

"I don't want to go," Her voice was barely over a whisper. Nida's hands fell away from her face in surprise.

"But I thought..."

"I'm sorry," She whimpered. "I can't leave her."

"But she's so mean..."

"She's been trying to look out for me. That's what mother's do." Nida held his head in his hands and remained silent. Amira pushed the toy away and pulled her knees up to her chest.

"You're really not coming with me are you," He stated. "I don't understand. Last time we talked, you were ready to leave."

"I know," She whispered. "But Nida, last time we talked I was mad at her, and talking of moving out was kinda my way of getting back at her." Nida stared up at the ceiling while he listened.

"But Ami, she's downstairs signing your custody over to me," He told her. "This is very real to her and to me."

Amira hung her head.

"What?"

"She's signing those papers because she thinks I hate her and that I don't want to be here." Nida looked at her quizzically. "I've told her so," She whispered.

"If you didn't feel it, why would you say something like that?" Nida asked.

"Because," She cried. "After you were sent off that was the only way I could think of to see you."

"What?" He narrowed his eyes.

"She sent you away because she couldn't control you. She sent you to Garden that way if anyone ever asked her where you were she could say you were training for your dream of being a SeeD."

"I wasn't out of control."

"Yes you were," Amira argued.

"Ami, Sarah's only been saying that so you wouldn't be mad at her for sending me off."

"No she hasn't!" Amira shouted. "I remember when she told you you were going to Garden." Nida narrowed his eyes. "We were eating dinner and you jumped up and ran from the kitchen table. She caught you before you got to the back door. You were screaming and yelling and knocked the dish drain off the counter and broke all the dishes it held. Mom started hollering at you to calm down but it only upset you more. I remember how you kept struggling against her and screaming about how she never wanted you and hated you. And she was crying as she dragged you upstairs to your room. You were kicking and screaming the whole way up."

He closed his eyes and for the first time in years recalled what had happened that night. "I hurt her wrist trying to get free," He spoke to himself. "And she locked me in my bedroom. I spent what must've been hours sulking on my bed before I started getting scared about leaving home."

"So you broke your window to get out?" Amira asked.

Nida concentrated for a moment. "I didn't break it on purpose. The frame was jammed or something and when I hit it to shake it loose, my hands just kinda shattered it." Amira was quiet. "I must've scared her to make her force Cid to send a SeeD out that night to pick me up."

"She was. The SeeD really scared me too. I'd never seen one before, I'd only heard stories. But when he showed up at the door and then had to wrestle you out of your room, I was scared. We both were."

Nida fell silent. "I can't believe how much the years and training have made me forget. I'm sorry for anything I might've done."

"Are you really?" Sarah's voice startled both teens from their conversation.

Back at Balamb Garden, Quistis opened her eyes to the sound of continuous ringing. She rolled over, causing the sheets to get tangled around her legs, and reached clumsily for the phone. "Hello?" She answered and sat up. "Xu?" She asked as she fought to untangle the sheets and stood up. "What do you mean what am I doing here?" She stole a glance at the alarm clock and then grimaced. "I know its barely after seven. I just fell asleep here." Quistis grinned as she brushed her hair with her fingers. "I'll tell you what. I'll take a shower and meet you in the cafeteria for breakfast. Okay, bye." She hung up the phone and then pulled her hair up. "Little snoop," She grinned again.

By the time she'd reached the Cafeteria, Xu and Raijin were already waiting for her. She paused at the sight of Raijin, but then shrugged it off and joined them at their table.

"Good morning," She said as she sat her purse down and leaned on the table top.

"Morning," Xu responded as she stole another glance back at the breakfast line.

"I take it they're not going to open up early are they," Quistis scowled.

"Doesn't look like it ya know," Raijin agreed. Quistis shrugged and stared out the window behind Xu's head. "Oh wait!" Raijin jumped up. "It looks like they are. I'll go get the food and give you girls a little time to talk...ya know." With a knowing grin he stood up and spun around towards the line. "Oh!" Raijin called out in surprise. Quistis and Xu both jumped up at the same time when they realized that Raijin had managed to plow over some poor unfortunate SeeD.

"Rage!" Xu called out and reached out as if to catch his victim.

"I'm sorry man. I didn't see ya, ya know," Raijin's voice held a bit of amusement.

"Yeah yeah, I know," His victim complained.

"Are you alright?" Quistis asked as she peered around Raijin's bulk. "Oh never mind," She dismissed her previous worry. "Its just you," She said as she sat back down.

"Your concern for my well being Dear Instructor is a far cry for commendable," Seifer grumbled as Raijin roughly hauled him up to his feet.

Xu snickered as she took her seat and then leaned forward towards Quistis. "Sooo," She grinned almost childishly. Quistis looked at her in confusion.

"Sooo," Seifer said as he spun his chair around and sat in it backwards. He leaned lazily with his elbow on the table top and waited for Quistis' reply. Both girls glared at him.

"Hey come on," Raijin pulled at the collar of Seifer's trench coat. "I'm going up for breakfast. Come with me."

"Not hungry," Seifer responded.

"Not hungry...come on. Everyone's gotta eat ya know," Raijin tried to persuade him. "I'm buyin' man."

"In that case," Seifer stood up abruptly. "I'll talk to you ladies later." Xu shook her head and Quistis rolled her eyes. Both girls watched as they started walking off.

"One of these days, one of them girls is gonna get you back ya know," Raijin mumbled.

"No they won't," Seifer stole a glance over his shoulder and grinned. "They enjoy the attention too much," He said as he turned back around. Raijin just shook his head.

With the guys out of the way, Xu leaned forward once again. "Soo," She said.

"So what?" Quistis asked.

"So what were you doing over Nida's at seven this morning?" Xu asked.

"Visiting my boyfriend," Quistis answered as she picked up her purse.

"Uh huh," Xu pried. Quistis cast her a look. "You fell asleep there."

"And your point?" Quistis asked as she pulled out her makeup bag and cast the purse aside. "Its not like you've never done that with Raijin so don't go there."

Xu sighed. "I was trying to get a hold of you all night last night but no one answered."

"It was on silent," Quistis answered methodically as she applied her blush.

"I noticed," Xu agreed. A long paused ensued and Xu took the time to look around at the treppies sitting at surrounding tables. She looked back over to Quistis, a sly grin on her face. "You know what I'm asking." All the hushed conversations around them died instantly as they listened in. Xu looked from side to side uncertainly.

Quistis crossed her arms raised an eyebrow, clearly mimicking the responses of her followers. "Enlighten me."

Xu's shoulders slumped in defeat. "Come on Quisty. The guy's are gonna be back any minute now! Just answer my question please," She begged in a hushed tone.

"Why?" Quistis asked.

"Because I'm a snoop. I have to know everything that goes on around me. If I don't I'll go crazy," She grinned.

"So long as you don't become a gossiper, I'll talk," Quistis agreed. All around them, the sound of scooting chairs and people shuffling closer erupted at once. "Guys come on!" Quistis shouted at the nosy treppies. Just as quickly as they'd congregated they all backed off.

Xu watched them in astonishment. "They're so loyal I bet you could take over the world with them...You know, like your own personal army," She commented.

Quistis smiled. "You're probably right."

Xu smiled broadly and cast a glance to make sure Seifer and Raijin weren't near. "Alright, enough chit-chat, spill it."

Quistis stared at her knowingly and then shrugged innocently. Xu's jaw dropped. "What? Coming from someone who doesn't have a problem with..." Quistis stopped talking when Xu placed her hand over her mouth. Their section of the cafeteria had grown eerily silent.

Raijin and Seifer came back to the table and sat their trays down. Raijin quickly sat next to Xu and started unwrapping his sausage and biscuit. A little leery of the situation, Seifer paused and looked around at their audience. His gaze fell to Quistis, who was shaking her head in embarrassment. Becoming more than a little annoyed, he dropped his tray on the table and took his coat off.

"There's nothing going on here but there will be if you all don't turn around and mind your own damn business," Seifer practically growled. Much to Quistis' dismay, most of the treppies got up and left in a hurry. Only a few remained and of those few, they all avoided making eye contact with Seifer. Satisfied with their reactions, Seifer fell lazily into his chair and began tearing his biscuits into small pieces.

"Thanks," Quistis whispered to Seifer as she took a plate of pancakes from Raijin.

He nodded and pulled the top off of his bowl of gravy. "I don't know how you put up with those loonies. I'd have killed them all by now if I were you," He grumbled as he covered his biscuits with the hot gravy.

"Some days I consider it," She mumbled.

Seifer smirked.

Back in Dollet, both Nida and Amira stared at Sarah quietly. The room remained silent as Nida tried to form words. Sarah looked from him to Amira. She clenched her folder in her left hand as she waited for one of them to speak. When neither did, she crossed her arms lightly over her chest and began to talk.

"Nida," She paused. "I've filled out everything but the last page. I want to make sure Amira's sure about this." Sarah looked over to her daughter.

Caught off guard, Amira appeared to grow a few shades paler. "Umm..." She hesitated as she looked over at Nida's solemn face. There was not the slightest noise in the room. Both Nida and Sarah seemed held their breaths as the waited for her answer. "I really don't want to go Mom," Her voice came out shaky and nervous. "But I don't want Nida to have to go either." Nida's eyes fell to the floor as he tightly clasped his hands in his lap.

It was now Sarah's' turn to be at a loss for words. "Amira," She began as she absently dropped the folder on the floor. "You haven't called me Mom in over three years."

"I'm sorry," Amira cried as Sarah rushed towards her and pulled her into a hug. Nida stood up and watched them in shock.

"Don't be," Sarah tried to quiet her.

"But I should be, I was so mean. I didn't mean it, I just thought if you got tired enough of me you'd send me off to be with Nida."

Sarah pulled back until they were an arm's length apart. "What?"

"I knew why you sent him off, but I missed him so much. And since he wasn't allowed back here, I had to do something so that you'd send me where he was."

"Honey, the whole reason I didn't have him come back was I was afraid that he'd come back and think that your throwing fits meant that he could too. Cid had sent some good reports and I didn't want to chance Nida regressing back to his old habits."

"But..." Amira's arguments died on her tongue. "I'm the reason Nida didn't get to come home?"

"I realized it was wrong three years too late; whenever I realized you hated me for keeping him away and that he hated me because he thought I was being strict on you because of him."

"I never meant it when I said I hated you," Amira whispered.

"I know," Sarah smiled faintly. "Honey, I don't want you to leave." Amira smiled back. After a brief hug, they remembered they weren't alone. Watching from the doorway, Nida wasn't sure if he was relieved or crushed by what just happened. "I promise you I was really trying to do what I thought was in your best interest. You always used to run off when you were mad and I was always afraid that when you got older you'd run off and get into something you shouldn't have."

Nida seemed to consider her statement for a minute and then frowned. "Its just hard. I spent the past five or so years thinking that you hated me. Things can't just be better in an instant."

"I know," Sarah looked down at the floor. "But you and Ami are all I have in this world. I was still young when your father died. I was very young. But with the years since then I've grown and learned a lot. I wasn't mentally mature enough to properly care for you two back then. I was still a little too whimsical for my own good. I may have been married and had a family, but life was still a social event back then. I was too caught up in the every day gossip and politics to have been the parent I should have been. When I realized I was in over my head it was too late. And then, out of fear of something happening to the dearest thing my Nigel had possessed, and the only one of my children that would really grow to resemble the man I'd fallen in love with, I sent you to Balamb Garden. I knew it wasn't an extremely strict military school, but I thought the structure and stability would do you some good. That and, I knew quite a few of the students there were orphaned so I had the confidence in the faculty and staff to know ways to help you that I didn't."

Nida looked from Sarah to Amira. "I don't know," He spoke as he shook his head. "Forgive me for saying so, but this all seems a little too convenient."

"Please Nida, let's just try and get along," Amira suggested. "Just for today?"

"Its alright," Sarah told her. "I've done so much to the two of you its a wonder either of you are still talking to me. Besides, some things take time to heal Ami." Turning her attention to Nida, she gave him a hesitant and awkward hug. "I am sorry Dear," She whispered in his ear and then pulled away. "I'll be downstairs when you two decide to come down." With her final words, she quietly left the two teens to themselves. After an unbearable silence, Ami finally spoke.

"You're not mad at me are you?"

He shook his head and smiled weakly. "No," He sighed. "I guess in a roundabout way this is what I wanted."


	19. Returning Home

Disclaimer- I in no way shape or form own the rights to Final Fantasy VIII. I do finally own a copy of the game though...marital property. lol

Author's notes- I sure hope this chapter reads alright. I have done everything just shy of pulling my hair out over this chapter. I wrote and rewrote it five times since I posted the last chapter. I just couldn't decide what to have Quistis do while Nida was gone. I eventually settled for having the chapter start a lot like the first chapter did. I figured since this was the last chapter of the actual story it couldn't hurt for it to be a bit reminiscent of the first chapter. With any luck, I may be able to put the epilogue up on the story's two year birthday, the 6th. That leaves me less than 24 hours. Wish me luck.

JadeAlmasy- Yeah his family is messed up. I unfortunately know a few families that are a lot worse. I really enjoyed writing the cafeteria scene.

Eridalove- I'm glad you like the pairing.

**Returning Home**

The day had been a warm one; one of the many signs that summer was almost upon them. Quistis thought of the implications the changing of the seasons held and smiled to herself as she pushed open the apartment window. She closed her eyes and absorbed the warmth the wind carried with it. Absently, she took out her hair clip and let her hair cascade down her back. The wind played with a few stray stands and she watched whimsically as her hair seemed to dance along with the curtains that hung alongside the windows.

Her gaze fell to the waves that crashed up against Garden's colorful hull. She knew it was only a matter of time before he'd meet them at this dock. The thought of his return sent chills up her spine. She bit at her bottom lip as she realized how foolishly sappy it made her feel. It was like she was twelve again and had just met her biggest crush face to face. She forced herself from her musings and continued to watch the waves. It was funny how much the sea reminded her of him.

She cautiously pulled her knees up to her chest, bringing her bare feet to rest on the windows ledge in front of her. Leaning against the frame she carefully took hold of the window to steady herself. She was comfortable and content on her perch above the water. Her blue eyes danced as she watched the waves below.

Xu groaned as she stumbled into the apartment carrying a box nearly as heavy as she was. Struggling to hoist it up higher on her hip, she freed up her right hand and tucked a few rebellious strands of hair behind her ear. She paused at the sight of Quistis and cleared her throat.

Startled from her daze, Quistis hurried over to her friend and took the box from her. "Sorry about that. I was expecting Seifer," She apologized.

Xu shrugged if off. "He got side-tracked by something. Asked me to take the last box up."

"Side-tracked huh," Quistis shook her head. "That sounds about like him." Xu chuckled.

"Well I need to get up to the bridge. My shift starts in a few minutes."

"Alright. Thanks for the help," Quistis called after her.

"No problem," Xu waved as she stepped out the door.

Now alone, Quistis struggled to carry the awkwardly large box into the spare bedroom. It only took a few steps for her to realize that wasn't going to happen. Regrouping, she carefully tried to lower the box to the floor, but the smooth cardboard of its sides slid down against her fingertips. She reached to catch it but ended up falling onto the floor with it. The box landed with a loud clunk. Quistis winced as she raised herself up to her knees and pulled open the box's flaps. Looking inside, she examined Nida's assortment of small paint cans for any sign of damage. Once satisfied, she took a deep breath and rolled onto her back.

**

* * *

**

Nida hurried down the corridor and hastily slid his card through his door's slot. He waited impatiently as the door unlocked and snapped open. Quistis had probably been trying to call him all day and he'd lost his cell phone. If he didn't find it fast and call her he figured he was a dead man. Before the door had even opened he had come up with a rough idea of where he'd left it. However, upon stepping into his room, all his previous ideas vanished as he found himself somewhere he didn't think he was supposed to be.

A bit confused, he paused at the empty space that surrounded him. This wasn't his room. It couldn't be. He looked around at the bare walls and floor. Curiously stepping towards the closet, he slid the door open to find none of his clothes or storage boxes. There was however a few loose pieces of notebook paper covered in cobwebs in the back corner. He knelt down and picked up the papers. They were nothing more than some of his old rough sketches, but even with that, his first instinct was to check and make sure he'd entered the right dorm room. He knew that'd be pointless because only his card key would open his door. Puzzled, he walked over to his bed and paused once again.

On his bed lay a fresh set of SeeD regulation sheets; neatly spread, tucked and folded back like they were the day he moved in. He stared at the bed for a moment. He never made his bed, much less used the regulation sheet sets. They were cold. Nida gazed up at his ceiling for some reassurance he was in the right room. Seeing his beige on white ceiling tiles gave him little comfort. Where was all his stuff? A thought crossed his mind. How was he going to find his cell phone if he didn't even know where his stuff was.

Swiftly grabbing the phone next to the bed, he dialed his number and waited. A faint ringing cried out from under his bed. He sat the receiver down next to its cradle and dropped to his knees to peer under the bed. Nida pushed aside a spare canvas, a few small boxes and an old pair of dress shoes before he finally found his phone under what appeared to be a pair of underwear. Absently setting his cell phone onto of his bed, he pulled out the pair of lavender panties and started laughing to himself. Quistis had lost something.

Tucking his find away in his dresser, he was relieved to see that whoever had cleaned out his room hadn't taken everything - yet. Making sure to close his dresser drawer, he then hung up his dorm phone and flipped his cell open. A frown crossed his features when he saw the seven missed calls. He immediately dialed Quistis' number and paced the floor while he waited for her to answer. When she didn't answer he hung up and rubbed his temples.

"She didn't answer her phone did she," A stern voice spoke behind him.

"How did you..." Nida's question died on his tongue.

"If you want your privacy keep your door closed," Seifer said bluntly. Nida just stared at him for a moment before he responded.

"I wasn't talking about you being here. I meant how did you know I was calling..."

"Quistis and I talk," Seifer paused. "Quistis and Xu talk. Quistis and I argue. But that doesn't matter though. She's been trying to get a hold of you all day."

"I forgot my cell phone," Nida responded as he tucked the phone in his pocket. "Why else would I go to my dorm room to use it?"

Seifer seemed to consider his response. "Like what she did with the place?" He asked.

Nida looked around, the emptiness still giving him a cold sensation. "Ehh...not really."

Seifer smirked. "You weren't meant to like it. When you didn't return her calls she got a few girlfriends together and they tossed your stuff out."

"What?" Nida's face read pure disbelief. "This is my room. She can't throw out my stuff to kick me out."

"Yeah you try telling that to three irate, men bashing women," Seifer scoffed. "I started to. But let me tell you there was so much estrogen in the air I was swiftly silenced and sent out." Nida crossed his arms and continued to stare at Seifer skeptically. "You think I'm lying. But I'll have you know that Xu, Selphie and Quistis together are trouble."

"Selphie?" Nida laughed.

"Yeah, there's a lot of raging hormones in that girl," Seifer's face held a mask of utmost seriousness. Nida narrowed his eyes and shifted his weight. "Anyways, what wasn't dumped out the window was toted upstairs to apartment four." Seifer grinned and handed Nida another card key.

"They packed everything in my room?" Nida asked as the realization of Seifer's implication took root.

Seifer frowned. "No. I packed everything and hauled most of it up there. They picked out curtains and decorated." Nida raised an eyebrow. "Go up there and see for yourself." Seifer stepped aside and made room for Nida to pass. He waited until Nida'd walked past him before he grabbed his arm and dragged him back into the room. Nida tried to pull his arm free to no avail. "Before you go let's get one thing straight. I haven't seen her this happy about something as long as I've known her. You hurt her, and I'll hurt you," Seifer threatened him.

Nida seemed to think. "I don't think that's a threat you're going to have to worry about following through on."

"Good," Seifer responded as he released Nida's arm.

"Oh and Seifer," Nida said from the doorway. Seifer just raised an eyebrow. "You missed a few things."

"Hmph," Seifer crossed his arms and looked at Nida accusingly. "I make it a point to avoid foraging under another man's bed and in his dresser." Nida grinned guiltily and then quickly left his room. Once he was out of sight, Seifer casually picked up the phone on the table and dialed Quistis' number.

**

* * *

**

Still lying on the carpet, Quistis stretched her arms above her head and stared at the ceiling for a moment. The sunlight pouring through the windows illuminated the walls and ceiling so that they seemed to radiate the bright white that they were painted. She closed her eyes and sighed as she silently enjoyed the feel of the soft new carpet. Reaching over for her purse she pulled out her cell phone and checked it for any missed calls. Finding two, she paused and stared at the phone blankly. The first was from Nida's cell, and the second from his dorm room phone. She hadn't heard her phone ring either time. Quistis sat up and went through the call history.

"Ten minutes ago," She said as she stumbled to her feet. "He's here." Before she could even put her phone away a feeling of dread and apprehension washed away any of the good feelings she may have had earlier in the day. "He's back," She said as she paced the floor and tried to get the bad feeling to go away. "Xu!" Quistis called out as she hurried to catch her friend. Xu looked down the hall at her as she waited for the elevator to come up. Quistis motioned for her and then stepped back into the apartment.

"What's wrong?" Xu asked as she hurried into the room.

"He's here! Things are never going to be the same," Quistis whispered.

Xu raised an eyebrow. "But I thought we were fixing this apartment up for him to return to."

"No don't you get it?" Quistis half cried. "He's coming back with his sister...as the guardian of his sister. He's coming back with a child!" Xu stared at her in confusion.

"I thought you were comfortable with that idea," Her voice held a worried tone. "Should I go get Selphie?"

"No! I mean I was comfortable," Quistis' voice wavered. "But that was before it dawned on me that things between us will never be the same."

Xu's face softened as she placed a hand on Quistis' shoulder. "Look, I've known Nida longer than you. His sister isn't going to make him change the way he feels about you. He adores you."

Quistis mustered a smile. "But his sister needs a responsible parental figure. And that means that we aren't going to be able to spend the time we used to together. I'm not going to be able to show up at midnight and get him to go watch a movie with me. And I'm not going to be able to do anything spontaneous because he'll have to make arrangements to have her taken care of."

"Quistis," Xu grabbed her shoulders. "Amira's thirteen not three. She's the same age I was when I came here. I promise you she'll be alright if you two want to run off and go do your thing," She laughed.

Quistis took a deep breath. "That's not what I'm saying. His life is going to be different because he has to take care of her now. He has to be more responsible...and he has to put her first," Quistis started crying. Xu just stared at her silently. "Damn it Xu I'm jealous. At this point in our relationship I don't want to be number two in his life. And I feel guilty as sin for feeling that way because I know its wrong."

"Honey there ain't nothin' wrong with feeling that way," Xu said as she pulled Quistis into a hug. "It'd be wrong if you acted on it and poisoned the poor girl or got her taken out of the picture," She joked. Quistis smiled. "But there isn't anything wrong with being afraid of growing apart from someone you love." Quistis remained silent as she considered her words. "Just trust me. Things will work out somehow." Quistis nodded as she wiped her eyes. "Now go clean yourself up. If he's already back, he'll be here in any minute...and quite frankly, you look like hell."

"Thanks," Quistis pulled her hair back and grabbed her purse. "I'll meet you for supper in the cafeteria."

"Five thirty," Xu said as she stepped back into the main hall. "Don't you be late!"

"I won't!" Quistis called from the bathroom.

From the elevator Nida could hear Xu's voice. As he grew nearer he could see she was just outside the apartment he was going to. Right as he got to her, she spun on her heel and plowed right into him. He quickly caught her arms to keep her from falling.

"Oh Nida..." The surprise on her face was very evident. "How long have you been there?"

"I just walked up. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," She dusted off the sleeves of her uniform. "But I'm late for my shift. I'll talk to you tonight."

"Alright," He said as she hurried around him and then ran down the hall to the elevator. The doors slid shut right as she reached it and Nida watched with some amusement as she hit the doors weakly with the side of her fist and then crossed her arms in annoyance.

* * *

Quistis was putting away her makeup when she noticed the reflection in the mirror in front of her. She looked up and smiled when she saw Nida's reflection behind her. He smiled back and wrapped his arms around her waist. Quistis closed her eyes as she felt his lips brush the base of her neck.

"I'm sorry I didn't answer the phone," Nida whispered in her ear. "I uh...misplaced it last night and totally forgot about it this morning."

"I forgive you," Quistis turned her head to the right and kissed his cheek.

"I'm glad," He responded. "I'd hate to think you were mad at me."

Quistis studied his reflection in the mirror and pulled herself free of his arms. His gaze questioned her action as he watched her intently. "Where's Ami?" She asked.

"Well that's something I've been wanting to tell you all day," He grinned. "Its really unexpected but really good. At least I hope."

"What is?" Quistis asked.

"When I got to Sarah's house this morning, we had a small fight," He showed her the cuts on his fingers and palms. Quistis took hold of his hand and looked at them in confusion. "She snatched the papers out of my hand," He explained. "And from there the fight got worse and she slapped me...but I realized today that I deserved it."

"What do you mean?" Quistis narrowed her eyes. "If anyone deserves-"

Nida placed two fingers over her mouth. "I've been here for so long that I forgot what I was like. Don't say anything just let me explain. After Sarah slapped me I went upstairs to get Ami. Thing was, she didn't want to go. The times I'd talked to her on the phone she'd been mad at Sarah because they'd been arguing. But what Sarah and I didn't realize was that the reason Ami was acting the way she was, was because of me. She wanted to be sent off to where I was because Sarah wouldn't let me come home to visit." Sensing the story could be a long one, Quistis nodded and then led him into the bedroom to sit on the bed.

"This is new," Nida stated as he looked at the full size bed before him. Quistis smiled. He smiled back knowingly. "I've never had a bed this big. Thanks," He said as he pulled her into a hug.

"Anytime," She smiled as she absorbed the warm sensation he gave her. "So Amira didn't want to come with you?" Quistis silently cried out in joy.

Nida groaned as he stretched out on his back. Quistis grinned as the mattress sank with his weight. "Nope," He sighed. "She just missed me. And because she missed me she was acting up hoping to be sent where I was."

"Wouldn't it have been easier to let you come home?" Quistis asked.

"Yeah, I imagine. But the only reason I was sent off was because Sarah didn't think she could control me. After she sent me off, Amira started acting up...and then she was afraid if I came back I'd fall back into my old habits-"

"So she just never let you come home?" Quistis frowned.

"I know it sounds lousy."

"Its beyond lousy-" Nida silenced her with two fingers.

"I figure what's done is done. None of us can change what happened. We can only apologize and attempt to make amends."

"You're too forgiving," Quistis stated.

"I wouldn't say that. I'd rather be called hopeful. Considering Amira doesn't want to leave and Sarah doesn't want her to anyways, I saw that as an opportunity for me to back out of that responsibility," Nida explained as he raised up on one elbow.

"You didn't want her?" Quistis asked.

"Oh I'd have been more than willing to take care of her, I would just rather be spending my time taking care of you," Nida answered as he raised up and cradled her face with his hand. She sat frozen where he held her, the surprise evident in her eyes. He smiled as he leaned forward to kiss her and then wavered just a fraction of an inch away from her lips. "Quistis you mean more to me than anyone in this world," He whispered as he pressed his lips against hers.

When their lips parted, Quistis smiled back at him and brushed his jet black hair back away from his face. "I love you so much," She whispered. "Don't ever leave me. I don't know what I'd do with myself."

"Don't worry," Nida assured her as he lay back down and pulled her with him. "There isn't anyone or anything in this world that would make me leave your side. I love you too." He closed his eyes as he held her there next to him. Absorbing the sweet smell of her perfume, the softness of her skin, and the warmth of her body, he remained where he lay and continued to hold her. He listened to the softness of her breathing and only opened his eyes when he felt her move in his arms. The brilliant blue of her eyes greeted his as a few blonde strands of hair slid across her face. With a gentle hand he brushed the hair away and ran his thumb along her cheek. He marveled at how soft and smooth her skin really was. She was so beautiful. Even as he lay there with her, it seemed almost surreal. Three months ago he would've never believed that he and Quistis would be close friends, let alone dating. Quistis smiled adoringly at him, effectively drawing his attention from his musings and back to her. He smiled in response and gently kissed her forehead.


	20. Epiloge Better Days

Disclaimer- I hereby denounce any speculation that I am indeed the lawful owner of Final Fantasy VIII, Squaresoft, or the title to this chapter...That belongs to the Goo Goo Dolls.

Author's Notes- Yeah this chapter was supposed to be up on the 6th...for those of you counting that was 8 days ago. While typing this epilogue my keyboard went out and my computer tower started making the awfullest noises and the screen froze. Not realizing that it was something as simple as my keyboard doing this, I shut my computer off and lost everything. It took me three days to realize my stupidity, and by that time the 6th was long gone...and I decided I might as well take a little extra time to try and improve upon the chapter. Hope you all enjoy the last chapter of Red Strokes.

Oh, I almost forgot, Isaac from Leatherbound Secrets makes a cameo in this chapter. For everyone who's forgotten who he was, he's the child of Max and Jenny, two of Irvine's friends from Blue Gales.

**Epilogue - Better Days**

A dense fog rolled across the surrounding fields and blurred the shoreline to the sea. The sky lay under siege by the heavy grey clouds that smothered out all of the early morning sunlight. Alone on a warped fishing dock, she stood silent and watching as a few ducks swam by. With a coffee cup held between her two hands, Quistis marveled at the silence that surrounded her. It was almost as if she were alone in a strange land in some dark fairy tale. There was nothing; no noise, no distinctive sights, just a bleak grey sky and fog. It was a lot like the time compression. She shuddered at the thought. Perhaps coming out to the docks alone hadn't been a good idea. Absently reaching down to her hip, she made certain Save The Queen was there. Feeling a bit more secure, she began walking back along the wooden planks of the dock.

She sipped her coffee as her feet found the gravel of the main road. Continuing her morning walk, she poured the now cold liquid out and looked over at the ragged little flower shop. The fog didn't seem as thick here, yet it still seemed to hug the building in a possessive kind of way. She gazed at the illuminated windows of the nearby houses and sighed. Today looked to be as gloomy as the day before.

"Instructor Roe!" An auburn haired boy called from up the road. Quistis looked up and shook her head at the sight of his muddy overall's and bare feet.

"My goodness Isaac, you're filthy," She stated as he ran up to her side and joined her walk.

"Yes'm I am," He grinned almost proudly.

She stifled a smile as she imagined Irvine and Max acting just like Isaac when they were younger. "What are you doing to get that dirty so early in the morning?"

"I've been out playin' with the dogs. I wanted ta go fishin' but Ma said that I couldn't with all this fog. She said I'd fall right in an' nobody'd be able ta see me," He complained.

"Sounds like your mother's a smart woman. You should listen to her."

"I did."

"Then how did you get so muddy?"

"Playin' with the dogs," He insisted. "I had just fed 'em when I saw ya walkin' this way."

Quistis smiled. "Do you know what time it is Isaac?"

"No ma'am," He answered.

"Its seven twenty one," She answered him. "Class starts at eight o'clock sharp."

"Don't worry I can get ta class on time," He assured her.

"I'm sure you can," She laughed at his enthusiasm. "But can you get yourself cleaned up beforehand?"

"Ya want me to go home and change don't ya," Isaac pouted as he shoved his hands in his pockets.

"I want you to go home and take a bath," She corrected him.

"Yes'm," He said as he continued to walk beside her. There was a lazy silence that took hold of them as they neared the edges of town. "Well I need ta go home," He announced as he stepped off the main road and onto the grass in front of his home. "Bye," He waved.

"I'll see you in class," She waved goodbye and kept walking.

With a few more passing houses, the gravel road turned to cobblestone. She couldn't help but notice that the village had in fact grown some. There were at least a half dozen new houses built along this road alone. A grin crossed her lips as she remembered how Laguna had tried to keep it hidden from the rest of the world. He'd been afraid that if people knew where it was they'd ruin it and its country charm. Well people had found his secret little town. People had found it, not realizing that they'd found it and had, for the most part, left it unaltered.

A flash of a memory crossed her mind and she'd remembered the first time she and the rest of the gang had come across this place. They were lost, and had at first thought they'd stumbled across a ghost town. Once she'd met a few of the resident's, she'd fallen in love with the town's solitude. Everything here was so calm, so slow, so quiet. There were no tabloids at the grocery, no big city newspaper to publish their images for all to see, and there were but a handful of fuzzy channels on the television that couldn't betray their identities if they'd wanted to. Winhill was very isolated. It made her feel small, like she was a normal person. That's why after she'd married, she came back.

Her musings left her at the doorstep of a small grey cottage. Gazing up at the dull wood siding and chipped paint around the windows, it was hard to imagine what kind of people would give up a more lavish lifestyle for this. At least at Balamb Garden, she'd had reliable heating and cooling, a brand new apartment, soft carpets and freshly painted walls. Here...here she had warped wood siding coated in lead based paint. Here she had creaky wooden floors that let in the cold winter's air. Here she had the piece of mind that she could live a normal life and her daughter wouldn't be raised in a military institution and expected to fight like she had. She reached out and placed a hand on the cool doorknob. After a moment she retracted her hand. She wasn't ready to go inside yet. Aside from the clouds, the air was warm and it was a nice day.

Carefully taking a seat on the edge of the porch, she watched as the wind blew the tops of her irises and day lilies. The flowers seemed to roll over each other in waves. The rich purple of the irises held her gaze as she remembered the Garden festival six years ago.

**

* * *

**

The quad that year had been extravagantly decorated with an unprecedented number of Garden Festival Committee members. Streamers, banners and balloons hung from every conceivable surface that they were able to stick an adhesive to. Quistis looked around at the bright spring time colors that surrounded her. The Garden Festival Committee had definitely out done themselves this year. The Garden Festival Committee or the Treppies, she wasn't sure which. As she looked around she slowly began to realize the large number of treppies that were helping out with the festivities. For whatever reason that year, a lot of them seemed to be involved. It seemed like everyone involved had put an extra effort into making the festival grand. She looked around in awe and took a double take when she spotted Selphie out of the corner of her eye. Apparently, even Squall had helped decorate.

She found herself slowly walking over as she watched him argue with Selphie about something. Still too far away to hear their voices, she could tell by the way he pointed up at the banner over their heads that he wasn't happy with.

"Squall it's fine," She could hear Selphie insist once she was closer. Selphie saw her and waved happily. She smiled in return.

"No its not," Squall argued. "This side is lower than that side."

"Squall you're nit-picking," Selphie said as she placed her hands on her hips.

He gave her a cold stare. Quistis bit her lip to hold back a grin as she walked over to Selphie's side. "I thought you had more pride in your work than this," Squall spoke in a disapproving tone. "I'll have you know that its the nit-pickers in this world that get their jobs done right."

"Its just a banner that's off by maybe a few inches," Selphie tried to persuade him. "I promise, no one's gonna notice but you."

Squall crossed his arms. "..."

Selphie's shoulders slumped. "What?"

"If I knew you were going to give me this much trouble over something so petty I wouldn't have volunteered."

Selphie looked to Quistis for help.

"It does look a little lopsided," Quistis confessed. Selphie looked at her in disbelief. Quistis grinned slyly.

"What?" Selphie asked as she looked at Quistis skeptically.

"Nothing."

Selphie narrowed her eyes and turned to see Squall setting up a ladder. "Squall its fine," She protested as he began climbing the steps. "Quistis is just trying to tease me," She said as she grabbed for Squall's jacket and instead caught one of his belts. "Squall!" Selphie grunted as she pulled on his belt and then fell backwards when her fingers slipped off the leather material. Quistis watched wide eyed as Selphie hit the ground, and Squall landed right on top of her.

All of the last minute preparations ceased as everyone turned to look at the scene that was unfolding before Quistis. She looked around at the silence that had surrounded her, and then covered her mouth with a hand to stifle her laughter. Squall awkwardly shifted his weight over until he was leaned on one leg and then slowly stood up. He looked down at Selphie with a gaze that could've frozen Seifer in his tracks. Selphie just stared back up at him with a clumsy grin on her face. He shook his head in disbelief while he held out his arm to help her up.

"Thanks," She said as she took hold of his hand and stood up. She looked around at all the people staring and for an instant a light blush crossed her cheeks. That blush quickly faded away when she started laughing. Squall sent her an annoyed look, causing her to only laugh even harder. Quistis couldn't help but to giggle quietly. After a few moments a smile tugged at the corner of Squall's mouth and he too began to laugh quietly.

Upon seeing Squall's laughter, Selphie only proceeded to laugh harder as she looked over to where Irvine sat, holding their baby girl. Irvine just shook his head and whispered something to the whispy haired baby in his lap. Squall watched the wordless interaction between the two, saw his opportunity and took it. He soundlessly scaled the ladder in less than a few seconds and was already untying the banner before Selphie even noticed where he was.

"How does this look?" He asked as he lifted his end of the banner up higher. Selphie put her hands on her hips and tried to give him an intimidating glare.

"She sure has a lot more energy since she had Jace," Nida spoke from behind Quistis.

"You're telling me," Quistis agreed.

"Isn't pulling the Commanding Officer off a ladder by one of his belts grounds for demotion or something?" Nida joked. Quistis chuckled.

"I imagine it could be," She smiled. "She should've known better than to let him get involved with the Garden Festival. He's going to do it how he thinks is right."

"She'll figure it out eventually," Nida said as he took her hand and led her away from the scene. Quistis gave him a quizzical look but followed him over to the quad's edge. She didn't notice until he let go and leaned on the rail, that his hands were clammy.

"Are you alright?" Quistis asked as she leaned on the rail next to him. He smiled very faintly and leaned toward her. "What's wrong?" She asked as she put her head on his shoulder.

"N-Nothing," He swallowed as he looked down at the ground well below their position. "I um just wanted to talk."

Quistis looked up at him quickly. "Oh?"

He looked down at her face and smiled with some sense of renewed confidence. "I just wanted to talk to you," He spoke as he watched the wind play with her hair. "I've been so busy with the Garden Fest that I feel like I'm brushing you aside. I sure hope you don't feel like that," He said as he caught a few strands and tucked them behind her ear.

"Oh I haven't," She reassured him. "I think what you're talented enough to do is amaz-" Her words were cut off as he took her chin in one hand and kissed her lips. She closed her eyes at the contact and wrapped her arms around his neck. He deepened the kiss as she closed the gap between her body and his. The little space between them grew near intoxicating as neither one of them broke off the kiss.

"Oh why don't you two get a room," Seifer complained from behind them. At his words, Nida pulled away from her. Aggravated, Quistis turned to say something in response to Seifer but he was already walking away. She watched him leave and stood there with a perturbed expression on her face until she saw something out of the corner of her eye. Her gaze softened when she realized that Seifer had been nothing more than the deliverer of the small bouquet of Irises Nida now held in his hand.

"What's this?" Quistis asked.

"Shh," Nida silenced her. "I get to ask the questions," He smiled.

"Oh?" Quistis laughed. "And what questions would you ask me?"

"Only one question really," He stated and then swallowed nervously. For the second time that day, every last minute preparation on the Garden Festival ceased as all of her treppie followers hushed and watched silently. The silence that had overcome the quad was frightening as the crowd slowly crept closer to her. She held her breath as Nida carefully placed the bouquet in her hands and knelt down on one knee. "Would you be my wife Quistis?" His words were but a whisper as he shakily moved her right hand down to the metal band that held her flowers together. Suddenly aware, she turned the bouquet over to see a gold ring. Quistis slowly pulled it off the flower's stems and looked at if affectionately.

"I will," She smiled as she slid the ring on her finger. At her words, Nida quickly found his feet and pulled her into a hug. Around them, the treppies erupted in shouts and applause. Quistis jumped at their reaction but Nida remained unphased as he pulled her into a hug and brushed her hair behind her ears.

"Oh thank you so much," He half laughed as he kissed her. "I don't know what I'd have done if you'd said no-"

Quistis silenced him with a hand. "You worry too much," She smiled and then cried. "I love you," She said as she ran her fingers through his hair.

"I love you too," He smiled as he began kissing her again.

* * *

Quistis smiled fondly at the memory as she stared out at the flowers. Her gaze drifted up to the clock tower. If she didn't hurry she'd be late for her own class. Quickly finding her feet, she opened the front door and then tried to shut it quietly. 

It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the darkness of the small living room. She looked around until her eyes came to rest on the coffee table. Making as little noise as possible, she stepped over a creaky board, hurried over to the table and picked up her grade book and notes for the day. Quistis pulled out her glasses and slid them on as she flipped through her notes. A stirring from the couch caught her attention. She pulled the book and papers to her chest and watched as Nida shifted around in his sleep. He was quiet a sight with his now longer hair messily laying down on his forehead. She couldn't help but to notice how his features had hardened over the past few years. Long gone were his soft babyish cheeks and rounded face. Sarah'd said that he had grown into a near mirror image of his father. Quite frankly Quistis had to admit that if that were the case, his father was a handsome man. On his chest lay their daughter. Her raven hair splashed out across her back and onto one of Nida's arms. Quistis shook her head at the sight of the two sleeping in so late. It was as if neither of them had any cares or obligations in the world. She smiled as he slowly opened his eyes to see her standing there. From his place on the couch he smiled up at her. Quistis watched as he slowly sat up, careful not to wake Lucine.

"You get dressed to watch early morning cartoons?" Quistis whispered as he quietly walked to her.

"Well, that's what she thinks I did," Nida whispered back as he carefully held their 4 year old daughter in his arms. Quistis watched as Lucine lazily leaned her head against Nida's shoulder and continued to sleep. "I was hoping to finish the boat today. Mr. Fantini's supposed to pay 900 gil for it."

"Only 900?" Quistis asked. "I thought your prices ran higher than that?"

Nida nodded. "This boat's just a short little one. A gift for one of his sons I believe."

"That's an awful expensive gift," She whispered.

"I'm not complaining."

"Neither am I," She smiled. "We're going to get by alright."

"We're going to get by just fine. Don't you worry about that," He reassured her with a kiss. Quistis placed a hand on the side of his neck and stroked his cheek with her thumb. "I love you."

"I love you too," She smiled. Lucine stirred in Nida's arms. Quistis grew silent as she waited for the little girl to go back to sleep.

"She looks just like her beautiful mother," Nida grinned.

Quistis rolled her eyes. "I don't know about that."

"Not counting my hair, she's a mirror image," He assured her as he kissed her again. Quistis let the kiss linger and looked almost dejected when Nida pulled back prematurely.

"What?" She asked.

"I think u have class," He whispered.

"Oh!" Quistis laughed. "I better go."

"Be careful," Nida whispered after her. She stopped and then looked outside.

"I'm just going across the street."

"This is Winhill," He defended himself. "I've learned long ago anything's likely to be roaming these streets." Quistis rolled her eyes and waved playfully as she hurried out the front door. Nida watched from the doorway before slowly stepping out onto the front porch.

"Dad," Lucine yawned from his arms.

"Hmm?" He asked as he watched Quistis enter the school house.

"I'm hungry," She yawned again. Nida smiled as he held her to his chest and kissed the top of her head. She wrapped her small arms around his neck and looked around. "What're we doing Daddy?"

Nida was silent as he took in the silent town around them. Through the early morning fog he could make out a few people opening up their shops and walking down the streets. It still amazed him that he was where he was. Whatever happened to his dream of running Balamb Garden?

'It was replaced by a better dream,' He thought to himself.

"Daddy, I'm hungry," Lucine leaned back in his arms to see his face. He looked down at her face and smiled.

"Me too. What do you say we brush your hair and go to the cafe?" Her eyes lit up at the idea. "I'll take that as a yes," He laughed as he put her down. "Hurry up! Get inside," He shooed her. At his words she ran halfway across the living room and then stopped and looked at him expectantly.

"Come on," She motioned for him.

He stared at her big pleading eyes and outstretched hand before he melted. She was going to be just like her mother. Nida smiled at the thought as he stepped inside and closed the front door behind him.


End file.
